The virus is NOT airborne - WHO

[TheReelSlimShady]

So the WHO have officially stated that the virus is NOT airborne as has been stated many times :

twitter.com/WHO/status/1243972193169616898

Their recommendation is to keep 1 metre apart , not 2 metres as many countries have been using (including in the UK).

Does this change anything? I guess it may calm the anxiety of picking up the virus when out and about doing exercise if someone gets a bit too close, or in the supermarket.

2 strains confirmed but in an Icelandic study they found 40.
So far, these strains are similar enough for the need of only 1 vaccine which is good.

I mention soapy water because you can’t buy 70% alcohol (or 90% to dilute down to 70% not sure with what probably distilled water). - at least I can’t find any. I heard 65% mentioned as well but I don’t know which is the minimum safest concentration.
I don’t know if rubber or plastic on its own can collect and re-deposit the virus (disposable gloves) but if we can use those they must be disposed of afterwards. I think, but I don’t know if I am correct because rubber can potentially retain residue very well, marigolds could be reasonably well washed with soapy water but I don’t know if that’s enough. I wouldn’t reuse if I was forced to wear them outside because I had no other option. Even using small plastic bags (without holes) secured with elastic bands could help during an outing but I don’t know if that’s as good as rubber gloves. And you’d have to throw away the bags and elastic bands.
The reality is that we are better off to concentrate 100% on not touching our face and washing hands properly as opposed to finding ways to cover our hands as this could still leave us exposed through miss-use and give us a false sense of security.

Flu mutates quite significantly, coronas apparently not. Small changes are inevitable.

<a class="break-all" href="https://choice.npr.org/index.html?origin=www.npr.org/2020/03/28/823292062/who-reviews-available-evidence-on-coronavirus-transmission-through-air?t=1585485844996" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">choice.npr.org/index.html?origin=www.npr.org/2020/03/28/823292062/who-reviews-available-evidence-on-coronavirus-transmission-through-air?t=1585485844996

@Branster and @LuluJakey1 :
Thanks for responses to my questions.
It was which product(s) to use to clean surfaces which was my main quandry, but what @Branster said about not knowing enough about how it acts on different surfaces makes sense.
I'll continue doing what I'm doing for now.
In between being terrified that I'm about to drop dead from contracting this virus, I am finding the scientific and the social aspects of it somewhat fascinating - without being flippant.
The global devastation being wreaked right now because someone, somewhere wanted something different than egg and chips for supper, is truly mind boggling.

@FatAlbert, good article.

Wingedharpy Me too, this virus (like others) is amazing in the way it does nothing at all yet causes absolute havoc, it’s not even intelligent because it hasn’t got a brain, it literally sits there to be moved about then it doesn’t even multiply on its own, our own cells do the job for it. It is fascinating. And the social implications, albeit mostly predictable, are interesting to observe.
Someone, somewhere will be in a position to analyse this properly in 50 years from now.

I clean with normal cleaner (bathroom or kitchen, then with soapy water from fairy liquid which is a right faff, rinse, dry with cloth - I don’t have enough kitchen towels to waste for drying and worry some surfaces would get damaged if not dried).
Most kitchen cleaners are strong degreasers and I hope they are sufficient. With bathroom I use the bath stuff as it tends to remove water marks. They are all much of a muchness and we simply can’t chop and change as the shops are empty.
I am not convinced TCP or Dettol from concentrate destroy this particular virus but I don’t actually know. I could be wrong. However a bleach solution is meant to work (10 or 5% I can’t remember) and hydrogen peroxide solution (can’t remember concentration and I haven’t got any anyway). I still have some leftover alcohol from a 10 year old bottle and I use it daily for handles, remote controls, phones the like but I’ll run out in a couple of days.
I think as long as we wash hands before ingesting anything or preparing food we should be reasonably safe. And not touch face. I can sort of stick to the rule but my teenage kids not, younger kids would be even harder. Do the very best you can.
This is sad but I find cleaning therapeutic right now even though most of it might be pointless.

If it isn't airborne, in any sense, eg droplets remaining in the air then why do those of us who are being shielded have to stay in doors? Surely we could be allowed to at least go for a walk outside?

Why would WHO lie about it being airborn?
There is a shortage of masks, worldwide WHO have said 90 million respirator masks are needed by medics every month around the world. WHO have approved FFP2 because of the shortages, they really should be FFP3. If it was aerosolized doctors would not be recomended to wear this by the WHO in the first place. Ebay and Amazon, and Gumtree have banned sale of masks. Unless you know someone you will not even be able to buy one soon. The current advice is that Masks do not protect the public and are only for doctors treating confirmed cases, doctors are trained, the public dont know how to use a mask properly. This is complete and utter BS and all members of the public should be wearing masks when they are leaving their houses, all shop workers should absolutely be wearing them. It will reduce commu ity transmittion. In many other countries that have succesfully controlled the virus these is a public order for all citizens to wear masks in public you could be arrested for not wearing one. They also have the military dissinfecting the streets with water cannons. Unfortunatly the UK response has been extremely slow, and only 2 weeks ago boris was talking about heard immunity and the head teacher at my sons uk school has refused authorized absence inspite my children being at risk of catching corona virus at the school. IMO the consevative gothernment is guilty of manslaugher on mass scale. Should been ordering equipment since the cases were 100+ in Italy. Should of shut schools after half term not worry about 2% gdp. The UK is an island, any idiot with a low IQ could of prevented this happening in the UK afterall we knew it was a risk to uk since January.

It’s not airborne but droplets can be spread in the air? This is semantics to most people TBH

It's not airborne as in, it can't fly. Like a tennis ball. You can whack it across the park, but it's got no power of it's own. When it lands, under the force of gravity, it doesn't move again unless it gets power from elsewhere.

If a virus is airborne, its tiny particles can flutter through the air by themselves, like revolting little butterflies. Depending on its lifespan, you might be able to catch it from miles away from a carrier.

Eckhart yes that’s a good way to put it, makes sense

What’s airborne I wonder wrt other viruses

So, can those of us being shielded go outside the , if it isn't airborne?

If you have any common sense than you should not go outside. The corona virus particle can be as small as 0.05 microns. Even an FFP3 N99 mask cannot stop that.

Hear MIT are still saying it can linger after a sneeze

But sprayed saliva from coughs or sneezes would be airborne. So people must not mix and the only way to be sure they don't mix eg in shops, National Parks, playgrounds, is to make everyone stay home.

It's a matter of degree, marsha. The all need some propulsion, but I think what they're saying is that this particular Coronavirus is more like a brick tennis ball than a feather tennis ball. It's not going to make it across a car park, for example, all by itself, whereas some other viruses might, given favourable conditions.

My GP says I have it and there is no mistaking the symptoms.
It's fucking painful and you can't breathe. It's like having a red hot poker down your throat and like swallowing glass. You shudder and shake as your body tries to fight the virus

To be fair ofwarren i had exactly these symptoms in mid Feb. So either its been here longer than people think, or there is something very similar out there.

@Forza14 Thanks. Very clear

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras:
I'm a shielder too.

The advice from the guidance document is that you can go outside into a "private space".
So, if you have a garden, you can be in it, providing you can keep 2 metres away from others.

No going for a walk though, as you couldn't be sure that you would remain 2 metres from others while out.

It says, you can sit on your doorstep to get fresh air - but 2 metre rule also in place, or sit by an open window.

It is confusing as right at the top of the guidance document it says, don't go outside but if you read further down, under the protecting your mental health IIRC, is where it outlines the above.

I'm hoping you have a 40 acre garden now!😉

We have been told asymptomatic people are spreading it. Is this purely from touching surfaces then?

The virologist on TV on Friday said it can remain in air for three hours, which really shocked me.

Asymptomatic people breathe, sneeze, cough, clear throats, accidentally spit whilst talking, whistle etc. When you go outside in the cold, you can see some of the distance your breath travels even without any propulsive help.

Staying alive weloveoptimus, not flying about in the air. Landing and just sitting there, hopefully for too long to live before anyone touches it.

Wingedharpy

Tiny garden unfortunately.

I just find this WHO announcement about strange really - if it definitely isn't airborne then there should be no risk to us going out for, say a walk, as long as we keep the 2 metre distance (or 1 metre distance) and yet we are told not to go outside at all (other than own private garden) so that seems at odds with WHO doesn't it?