Loud noise environments may increase a person’s risk for contracting the novel coronavirus, nine-term congressman and doctor Rep. Mike Burgess told Newsmax TV on Tuesday, because it causes people to move closer than the 6-foot "social distancing" suggestion to be heard.

Burgess is a 69-year-old Republican who has three decades as a doctor in North Texas and represents Texas’ 26th Congressional District in the northern section of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He was reacting to claims, such as the one from the World Health Organization earlier in the day, that "emerging evidence" shows the virus is spread through the air as well as "respiratory droplets."

"Interestingly enough, high-noise environments seem to be one of those things that works out to be a risk factor," Burgess said on "Spicer & Co." "It maybe why bars have been identified as being problematic. You certainly look at the people in the meat processing industry, and that’s a high-noise environment. They’ve got to get right up on top of each other to be heard.

"That is an environment in which the transmission of the virus does seem to be increased."

Burgess’ comments come as debate has heightened in his state following Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order last week requiring face coverings be worn in public, after an increase in cases appeared in the state, and an increasing number of sheriffs saying they can’t or won’t enforce the directive.

A report by West Texas Dr. Richard Bartlett, who claims that the inhaled steroid budesonide, or as its known by its brand name Pulmicort, is a "silver bullet" for COVID-19, the flu-like respirator disease caused by the novel coronavirus, also has attracted Burgess’ attention.

"I do have asthma myself, and I do use an inhaled steroid – not the nebulizer that he recommends, but an inhaler, and I wondered about that early on," Burgess said. "Both sides of the question: No. 1, am I increasing my risk for getting an infectious disease that is inhaled into the lungs by using an inhaled steroid, which could reduce the body’s ability to fight infection; or, am I improving because I’ve reduced the body’s response to inflammation.

"I guess it’s an open question. I know the doctor. I have heard him speak, and he seems quite passionate about this, but we’re going to need to see some studies before there is a recommendation for widespread use of Pulmicort."

Published here.