@Flash wrote:
There have been some indications that inhalation of small quantities of the virus may not make you sick while larger quantities will. It may be that this is why some folks 'test positive' but don't get sick. I don't know and I don't know that anybody knows for sure. Applied to a package of raw meat, don't stick your nose in it and wash your hands after handling it. The chances of a home-use size package having enough virus to make you sick I suspect is very small.
Yes, the theory you're thinking of is referred to as "viral load." I posted on this before. You're right that there is not yet consensus on it, although it does make some logical sense.
The idea is that people who inhale large quantities of the COVID virus may be more susceptible to getting very sick than those who only get a particle or two. This could explain why seemingly healthy medical workers die from it. A 40-year old doctor, who is treating COVID patients ALL DAY AND NIGHT, may pick up a heavy viral load over time.
Whereas, a person walking by someone who happens to breathe COVID-19 into his or her nostrils with just a few particles may have less severe consequences. One theory is that it's the time your body has to react to the intruder. A heavy viral load can overwhelm your body's immune system faster vs. a few particles that have to still replicate more to do more damage. Not sure if it's valid or not, but viral load does seem to be something tossed around a bit from my reading.
IF it is true, I have even more sympathy for medical workers. And I do think people should wear masks to protect them. . .if you get sick, you're going to have to be treated by these workers. They sit there and expose themselves to the virus all day long and viral load could be much higher for them than your average person on the street. So, when people say it's my freedom to not wear a mask, I hope they think of people like medical workers.
re: meat handling
Eeeesh, this does make me wonder if I should take extra precautions now.
I'll have to have a talk with family members of this. It really is weird because of the freezing dilemma.