People With COVID-19 Are Significantly More Likely to Have Eaten at a Restaurant

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Eating at a restaurant could present a bigger risk for coronavirus exposure than many may realize. In fact, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), those who tested positive for COVID-19 were significantly more likely to have eaten at a restaurant in the previous 14 days than those who tested negative.

The study, just published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, looked at data for 154 people who had tested positive for COVID-19 and 160 controls who tested negative at 11 health care facilities around the country. Specifically, the researchers analyzed participants' data regarding demographics, underlying medical conditions, possible exposure to the coronavirus, mask-wearing habits, and other community behaviors, such as going to a restaurant, going to a salon, or attending an indoor gathering.

After analyzing the data, there actually were not a ton of statistically significant differences between the participants who tested positive and those who tested negative. But there were some:  People who tested negative were more likely to be white, have a college degree, and have at least one underlying health condition compared to those who tested positive. 

Read more: https://www.self.com/story/covid-19-restaurant-cdc-study