Post by mhbruin on Jul 7, 2020 9:01:13 GMT -8
This article explains in detail, and includes some information about protecting yourself.
Article
Bottom line
The impact on how we deal with COVID-19 appears to be this: social distancing, hand-washing, and wearing a cloth mask most of the time is important in reducing the spread of COVID-19. However, even all of the above is not an absolute guarantee of protection. That’s particularly true in situations where people are staying for extended periods in poorly ventilated places. The researchers cited an instance of a spreading event that took place in a Chinese restaurant where diners were kept well spaced apart, the wait staff was carefully monitored, and the restaurant still became an apparent spreading center. The same thing applies with churches and other types of prolonged meetings. Even when people were kept at a distance, new incidents of COVID-19 popped up.
The most obvious take-away from this is to stay away from that kind of situation. COVID-19 isn’t measles. It does not linger in the air for hours after an infected person has passed through a room. It may not even linger for minutes. But if you’re sharing a room with multiple infected people, odds are you are going to begin respirating infected aerosol particles. Do that long enough, and you can pick up enough of a viral load to trigger an infection.
The other big takeaway comes down to masks. Cloth masks and disposable surgical masks have proven to be highly effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19. That remains true. However, for essential workers who have to work in an indoor environment—especially those like hospital staff working in an area where they know infected patients are present—the use of N95 masks that can block these smaller aerosols is essential. And, with another looming shortage of personal protective equipment, that’s a very good reason why most people should leave the N95 masks to those in situations where they really need them.
Article
Bottom line
The impact on how we deal with COVID-19 appears to be this: social distancing, hand-washing, and wearing a cloth mask most of the time is important in reducing the spread of COVID-19. However, even all of the above is not an absolute guarantee of protection. That’s particularly true in situations where people are staying for extended periods in poorly ventilated places. The researchers cited an instance of a spreading event that took place in a Chinese restaurant where diners were kept well spaced apart, the wait staff was carefully monitored, and the restaurant still became an apparent spreading center. The same thing applies with churches and other types of prolonged meetings. Even when people were kept at a distance, new incidents of COVID-19 popped up.
The most obvious take-away from this is to stay away from that kind of situation. COVID-19 isn’t measles. It does not linger in the air for hours after an infected person has passed through a room. It may not even linger for minutes. But if you’re sharing a room with multiple infected people, odds are you are going to begin respirating infected aerosol particles. Do that long enough, and you can pick up enough of a viral load to trigger an infection.
The other big takeaway comes down to masks. Cloth masks and disposable surgical masks have proven to be highly effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19. That remains true. However, for essential workers who have to work in an indoor environment—especially those like hospital staff working in an area where they know infected patients are present—the use of N95 masks that can block these smaller aerosols is essential. And, with another looming shortage of personal protective equipment, that’s a very good reason why most people should leave the N95 masks to those in situations where they really need them.