masks

People may need to wear face coverings and socially distance for several years until we return to normality, a leading epidemiologist has predicted.

Mary Ramsay, the head of immunisation at Public Health England, said basic measures could be in place until other countries successfully roll out jabs.

She also said a return of big spectator events required careful monitoring and clear instructions about staying safe.

Dr Ramsay said restrictions such as face coverings in crowded places and social distancing had become accepted by many and still allowed the economy to function.

She said "people have got used to those lower-level restrictions now, and people can live with them, and the economy can still go on with those less severe restrictions in place".

"So I think certainly for a few years, at least until other parts of the world are as well vaccinated as we are, and the numbers have come down everywhere, that is when we may be able to go very gradually back to a more normal situation," she added.

Warning it was "very important that we do not relax too quickly", Dr Ramsay said any circulating virus would inevitably pick on those who are vulnerable.

"We have to look very carefully before any of these restrictions are lifted," she said.

A group of government scientific advisers said last month that "maintaining a baseline of policies which reduce transmission" will be necessary for some time to come.

Those experts said these could include continuing test-and-trace, self-isolation, and public messaging that encourages "voluntary actions to reduce risks".

Early in the pandemic, droplets from coughs and contaminated surfaces were seen as the main routes of transmission – which is why social distancing and hand washing were highlighted as vital measures. China denied for a long time (as did the WHO!) that the virus was being passed airborne, by breathing in the exhalations of infected people.

But the possibility of a third route - what’s called "aerosol transmission" – in which infectious virus particles linger in the air, was only recently acknowledged by the World Health Organization.  

Airborne virus particles probably play a role in "superspreading events" where the infection is passed to large numbers of people in poorly ventilated spaces such as churches and restaurants.

And while outdoors the virus can be scattered by the breeze, and weakened by sunlight, indoors it can survive in the air for up to five or more hours.

One recommendation is for people to wear masks to reduce how much virus they might release, and to reduce how much virus they breathe in. The less virus released the better, and the less breathed in, the better. Illness is less severe with lower rates of virus intake.  Wear a mask indoors and outdoors in crowds and even medium level population densities. 

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Whether or not to wear a face covering is an important decision when Covid-19 is active in your area. Better safe than sorry is a good guide here. Many countries and states and cities are requiring them in some situations. 

To understand why face masks might work, it is important to look at how the virus that causes Covid-19 spreads in the first place.

Once it has infected someone, the Sars-CoV-2 virus responsible for the disease hijacks their cells to replicate itself. As it multiplies, these new virus particles then burst out of the cells and become suspended in the bodily fluids in our lungs, mouth and nose. When an infected person coughs, they can send showers of tiny droplets – known as aerosols – filled with the virus into the air.

A single cough can produce up to 3,000 droplets. There are fears the virus can also be spread simply through speaking. One recent study showed that we spray thousands of droplets invisible to the naked eye into the air just by uttering the words “stay healthy”.

Covid-19 presents specific challenges for the workplace. In general, indoor areas with lots of people and no air flow are very high-risk areas for the spread of the virus. Here are some general guidelines for working in an age of airbone coronavirus:

1) Try to work from home, if possible. There are lots of ways to work on the computer, with the telephone, and there are lots of free and low cost video-conferencing solutions like Conference-Rooms.US that allow groups meetings, presentations and more with interactive whiteboards, and meeting recording, etc.

2) If you have to work from an office, try to work outside! If you must work inside at a desk, make sure that all the windows are open and use fans to increase air flow indoors. Best yet is to use fans to direct air so that air is sucked up to the ceiling and then blown outside, if possible. This is what airplanes try to do - to direct air vertically - and it can be done in offices.

3) Wear masks or respirators if possible, (we reciommend 3M N95 original and genuine respirators) and practice social distancing at the workplace. Try to touch things as little as possible, and make sure to wash your hands thoroughly often, after touching anything. Do NOT touch your face, mouth, eyes or nose, and do not touch your mask or respirator. If you wear a mask or respirator, leave it on until you are done with it for the day. The outside of your mask could be a particularly dangerous thing to touch as it could harbor the virus.

4) Don't share  cups, glasses, plates or utensils. Don't use office gyms or fitness classes - exercise outside! Take the stairs rather than the elevator, unless the climb is too strenuous. Move desks around to maximise the space between them. Stay positive and get enough sleep and exercise. Be healthy and stay alert and safe.

Mid-July 2020: 

We are seeing more and more US states loosening restrictions so the economy can get going once again, and we are witnessing many young people who are going back to life as it was before the virus - with no social distancing, not wearing masks, getting together with hundreds of other young people in bars, at parties, etc. This is horribly risky behavior - both for themselves and for the more vulnerable people in society - the elderly, the obese, those with underlying kidney or respiratory problems, that could catch the Coronavirus from these young people and need hospitalization or even die from it.

You youths need to be aware that this is not a little flu, rather covid-19 has some very serious long-term disasterously negative effects on one's health for many, many survivors. You think that because you are young and strong that it won't hurt you. Well, you are wrong. It will hospitalize some of you and it will even kill some of you. Furthermore, it will probably or possibly cause long-term damage to your lungs and kidneys as well as your memory and ability to think. Seriously. We don't know how long-term this damage will be, but we know that it is a part of the problem. Many, many covid-19 "survivors" of all sexes and ages never fully recover! Don't play games and take risks with your long-term health. It's not worth it.