Corona Virus - as of 4 feb

Virus will easily pass through a regular surgical face mask, it has basically no value other than maybe as a reminder to not touch your face with your hands. Only a properly fit N95 respirator mask offers any level of protection.

 

FYI...the disease has a new name: NCP
“Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia”.
Since it is a viral pneumonia, I assume that those of us vaccinated with P13 and P21 (bacterial) would have no protection from this virus.


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From the link below:
"Aerosol transmission has again fueled public fears of infection. The novel coronavirus can be transmitted through aerosols, a Shanghai official cited health experts (link in Chinese) as saying at a press briefing on Saturday. That means a person can get infected by viruses through inhalation of the mix of the air and infected patients’ droplets. Multiple studies have found that viruses such as the SARS and H5N1 bird flu viruses can be transmitted through aerosols, which can remain suspended in the air."

https://www.caixinglobal.com/2020-0...d-evacuation-but-no-travel-ban-101510591.html

 

I have always (at least the last 50 years) believed that colds, flu, and the NCP (the last two months) are all viruses which are generally transmitted thru sneezing and coughing, the aerosol (or whatever) either being inhaled by another, or getting on surfaces like doorknobs, or touching. I saw one estimate that the virus from a sneeze has a range of some 3 meters, and will last on metal for 6 or more hours, fabric about the same. That is why it is so important to wash often, avoid touching handles, and don't touch your face.. If you see someone coughing or sneezing without covering their mouth, run the other direction. I saw a foreigner (like me) cough at the other end of the aisle at Robinson's without covering it a couple days ago, almost whacked him upside the head, idiot. I turned around and went the other way....

The difference now is the virility of the virus. We are lucky that so few are infected here (I hope the government isn't lying.)... If you want to see the result of Chinese officials trying not to lose face and coverup the virus, the below is truly sad: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/09/world/asia/coronavirus-family-china.html. This could have been us...

 

But if the virus particles are carried within a droplet (most likely scenario) then a mask may reduce the chance of the droplet passing through, the virus particle being n0n-motile.

The concerns I have are that masks are not easily available (if at all) and people will have a limited number and have to re-use them, probably over a long period of time. Ideally a face mask should be discarded because 1) It may have absorbed droplets containing virus particles and so is a bio-hazard at that point 2) The inner part of the mask will become wet and contain a variety of microbes (bacteria especially) from the wearer's mouth and nose - these may reproduce within the liquid (not viruses as they are unable to) and be inhaled into the body the next time it is used. These will be in greater numbers and so may be enough to cause an infection, even though they originated from that person (obviously, sharing used masks with others is a very big no-no). This problem could be reduced by lining the inside of the mask with a tissue and disposing it after wearing it - even perhaps replacing it at times during the day.

There is also a case, if you have only a small number of masks of RESTING them - viruses cannot reproduce, and often not even survive, outside the body. So by putting a mask aside for a day or more - perhaps in a breathable box to stop mould formation, but not in the fridge or freezer as they may help preserve any microbes present inside and outside the mask - may help the mask to be safer for re-use. This helps dry the mask out and most microbes cannot survive without water. Just an idea.

 

But it is now known that the nCov virus can be carried by aerosol, which means if a virus containing droplet passes through the mask it can easily touch your nose or lips, or become aerosolized with the air you are breathing. As for resting a mask, it has been shown that nCov virus can survive on surfaces for up to 9 days. Maybe a few seconds in a microwave, or misting the mask with an alcohol solution? I think masks give a false sense of security, there are now over 500 healthcare workers in China infected, and they were wearing masks and gloves and face shields and even in some cases full hazmat suits. The best function masks perform is to remind you to keep your hands from touching your face. I think that when you go out in public, carry hand sanitizer and clean your hands OFTEN is a better protection than wearing a mask. I would also add to be sure to stay away from anyone coughing or sneezing, but now that nCov can be aerosolized it can hang in the air for many hours and even be circulated through air systems. Fortunately we don't seem to have a worry here in DGT yet, but it is also now known that the nCov incubation period can be up to 24 days. So, those people who were isolated for 14 days can actually be carrying the virus and not have any symptoms but be able to infect others for an additional 10 more days before they may start to be sick. So now we just need to wait for a few more weeks to see if we got lucky and dodged a bullet this time.

 

I still think that the virus (now officially named by WHO as Covid-19, avoiding any geographical connotations) is more likely to get into the mouth and nose if not wearing any form of mask than if wearing one. Also, as you said before, it helps prevent the hands touching the mouth and nose - cleaning the hands is essential but people will not be doing that every few seconds, even though they will be touching things (and have their hands exposed to the air) almost constantly, but a mask will be a continuous protection. Eye protection must also be an essential component of keeping the virus out but not sure people would feel okay walking around in goggles (at this stage).

I did consider sterilising the mask with alcohol or microwave but am not sure what effect that might have on the material of the mask itself - if it changes the pore size then it makes the mask much less effective.

I am not sure why so many healthcare workers in China have the virus, especially if wearing full protection - but it must be because they caught the virus before they started using the protective equipment or had gaps in its use (i.e. not wearing it when on the way home and in the home, but only in the hospital). If the virus can penetrate a hazmat suit then it must have been badly made (somewhere!) and it would be of massive concern in the field of hazard prevention for microbes and chemicals.

 

The WHO name of the “disease” is “NCP”.


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I think the healthcare workers were infected during the process of putting on and removing their protective gear because they did not adequately account for the possibility of airborne transmission. There was a condo building in China where an infected woman was in quarantine. Suddenly many other residents of the building also became infected although they had no contact with her. It turned out that there was a plumbing renovation project in process, and there were open unsealed plumbing pipes between her unit and the other units where people became infected. Officials now say all residents that shared open pipes with that unit became infected by airborne transmission through the pipes.