A paper written by Matthew R. Naunheim, MD, MBA, Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, on safe singing practices during the COVID-19 pandemic was voted Best Clinical Medicine Paper of 2021 by its publication, Journal of Voice.
According to a letter sent by editors of Journal of Voice, the journal had published a record number of submissions in 2021. Of the submissions published, Dr. Naunheim’s paper, entitled “Safer Singing During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: What We Know and What We Don't,” was considered exceptional.
The paper was published in September 2021 — at a time when scientific research had not yet examined safe singing practices in relation to the risk of transmitting SARS-CoV2, the virus responsible for causing COVID-19. As described in the paper, Dr. Naunheim and his team of researchers evaluated existing information about singing and COVID-19, and then suggested best practices for how singers could properly gather and lower the risk of transmission.
The paper concluded that, while the risk of transmission can be mitigated with certain practices, the risk cannot be entirely eliminated. Therefore, each community of singers and performers needs to take into consideration a wide range of factors when deciding to resume singing activities in groups.
The best practices suggested by the paper included outside rehearsals, shortened rehearsal times, proper personal protective equipment and meticulous hygienic, among several others.