Biologists, virologists, and epidemiologists produced so many reports in such a short time that it may take decades to thoroughly examine the discoveries and understand their true importance.
One area for exploration is the link between building structures and viral transmission.
Data consistently point to reduced infection rates among people who live in free-standing structures, i.e., in houses.
These are structures which are variously categorized: single family dwellings, detached condominiums, and other real estate classifications are used to label them.
Viral transmission is enhanced and amplified by structures like duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, row houses, and high rise buildings.
While it is intuitive that buildings with shared hallways — large condominiums and high rise apartment buildings — lead to more disease transmission, it is significant but less obvious that structures like duplexes do so as well.
While duplexes may feature separate entrances, and thus avoid the communal spaces like hallways, they often share attics, crawl spaces, and some HVAC amenities. Even something as small and simple as an electrical outlet on a shared wall can allow for some air exchange between two otherwise separate living spaces — and with this air exchange, infection.
The data of infection rates in medium and large cities confirm this hypothesis.
In a pandemic caused by an airborne contagion, a free-standing house is an important line of defense against infection.
City planners and urban planners would do well to bear this in mind.
