Did the 49ers' Super Bowl Loss Help Limit the Spread of Coronavirus? Some Experts Believe So

California medical researchers are suggesting the 49ers' Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs may have prevented the spread of the coronavirus and saved lives, according to the Wall Street Journal.

“It may go down in the annals as being a brutal sports loss,” Dr. Bob Wachter, the chair of the University of California San Francisco's Department of Medicine, told the Wall Street Journal, “but one that may have saved lives.”

The 49ers blew a 10-point lead with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and ended up losing 31–20. The loss scraped any plans of a celebration parade in San Francisco, which could have led to a major outbreak. 

Santa Clara County has just two reported cases on Super Bowl Sunday, but a person-to-person transmission had taken place in neighboring San Benito Country. Kansas City, meanwhile, didn't report its first case until March 18. 

Experts say the virus spreads through droplets released by infected people through coughing and exhaling. The risk for contamination increases by sharing the same air space with someone for a prolonged period of time. Millions of fans cheering, hugging and congregating in major streets could have accelerated the spread of the illness, according to doctors and researchers interviewed by the WSJ. 

The Wall Street Journal notes that Oakland hosted crowds between 500,000 to 1.5 million fans for the Golden State Warriors' three championship parades. In 1918, during the Spanish flu pandemic, Philadelphia hosted a parade to boost wartime morale, leading to a sharp increase in cases among attendees.

Wachter told the WSJ that the 49ers' loss "may be one of the lucky breaks that spared us from a much worse fate." California instituted a strict stay at home order on March 19.

There have been at least 24,000 reported cases of the coronavirus in California. As of Tuesday, 725 people have died.