February 24, 2020
FRIDAY, Feb. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Coronavirus is most infectious when patients are at the peak of their illness, U.S. health officials said Friday.
"Based on what we know now, we believe this virus spreads mainly from person to person among close contacts, which is defined as about six feet, through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during a media briefing on Friday.
"People are thought to be the most contagious when they are most symptomatic, that is when they are the sickest," she added.
"Some spread may happen by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching the eyes, nose and mouth," she added. "But remember, we believe this virus does not last long on surfaces. Some spread may happen before people show symptoms. There have been a few reports of this with the new coronavirus, and it is compatible with