New study says it’s airborne as well as droplet borne

[VivaLeBeaver]

This is seriously worrying. A study has shown that the virus remains in the air hours after the Covid positive person has left. So this means going to the supermarket is ultra high risk even if you keep 2m apart. I haven’t been wearing a mask due to thinking if I kept 2m away from people I’d be ok. But I’m wearing one now!

Sorry it’s a daily mail link.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8171521/Coronavirus-does-spread-air-lingers-rooms-long-patients-left-study.html

This is pure idiocy.

What is idiocy is the WHO confidently pronouncing on Twitter that this thing isn’t airborne, only to be completely undermined by a new study less than a week later suggesting that it is. Perhaps they should be more cautious with how they say things rather than reporting them as fact when the truth is, they don’t have a clue.

As far as I understand a mask is not going to protect you if the virus is airborne. The particles are small enough that they will be breathed in through the mask. I have two friends who are frontline right now, a nurse and a doctor. The nurse has been given a full hazmat type suit and the doctor has been fitted for a special mask that seals to the skin. Male doctors have been told to shave off beards so that the masks can seal properly. So I don't think a paper mask is going to work.

Is long term social distancing and lockdown possible? Is there any other way of stopping it spreading? Even just thinking of all those key workers. They must be spreading it as well. 25% show new symptoms is the latest estimate.
Where are the tests???

@definitely the YouTube link I posted from a senior doctor answers a question about masks. Its worth a watch.

I've got 4x ffp3 fit tested respiratator masks so they should be fine.

People talking as if the OP is stupid and they've known this all along.. the WHO informed us not long ago that this was NOT an airborne virus. I completely agree that it's very soon for anyone to know, but surely in that case the WHO should recognise this and in the name of caution tell people to treat it like it is.

I used to do the mask fit testing at the hospital so I'm happy how to fit them and get a good seal.

Those didn't work in China though did they? Or were the medics not wearing them? (I don't know)
Are you high risk?

Those masks would be really useful for those on the frontline treating Covid-19 patients.

Don’t think that they’re necessary for wandering around Tesco.

I'm not high risk, dd is. The masks are the same the icu staff in this country treating positive patients with high risk procedures are wearing. No idea what type they had in China but I didn't hear about their medical staff after the initial period having ppe issues.

gah i was going to the supermarket this morning without a mask...

I agree with DongDing re the WHO’s announcement

And I pretty much expect that I'll be on the front line treating positive patients before long. And when that happens I'm going to make sure I have my own ppe. Not rely on the paper masks people are currently having to wear.

That's interesting, I thought it was infecting medics at a much higher rate than everyone else in every country. I assumed that meant the ppe was not effective (makes sense as they are saying it lingers in corridors etc I guess maybe ppe is not worn then)

When the WHO announced it we had a thread here with posters calling others thick etc for questioning it. Yes MIT had already put out another study with the three hours but out of the two many people automatically go with WHO are the experts stop thinking otherwise.

The good masks are only been worn by medics for certain procedures. Otherwise just papermasks which my NHS trust are still saying is adequate because its droplet borne not airborne

Yes, it is a strange disease. I think it has been clear for a long time that while handwashing helps, it is still passing through the air from person to person who have had no physical contact. This is why social distancing is proving effective. It also seems that it is more likely to pass in close and closed quarters.

And no masks at all at the nurses station, corridor, etc

Which we know means 'we don't have any'.

And in fact my NHS hospital only moved to paper masks for all patient contact from today. Yesterday you were only allowed a paper mask if patient had symptoms. Which is bonkers when people are infectious before being symptomatic.

The masks are helpful if you have covid-19. It helps prevent the spread to other people. It doesn't stop you catching it. But, most people that have it don't know, so it is still useful to wear masks, I think. It also helps to stop you subconsciously touching your face when out and about.

And it's why I'm not volunteering for bank shifts. It does not feel safe. I'm assuming soon I won't have a choice.

I think anything with face to face contact is not a good idea if you can avoid it at all.

At the hospital where I work we’ve been told all along that it’s not airborne.
Hence 2 meter distancing, the idea is it can’t travel that far and is falling onto surfaces.

Cleaners wait 30 minutes for it to ‘settle’ before entering a room to clean when a confirmed positive patient has left.

So if it turns out that it’s actually airborne for hours then staff in hospitals will have been misinformed for all this time

Good ventilation seems to help. You need to air rooms. I'm not in the UK, but here there have been a lot of cases linked to bars and pubs, travelling together in a car. Closed spaces, people talking face to face, bad ventilation. It's a dangerous combination, it seems.