In terms of aerosols, droplet, & “airborne”- the best approach to communication I’ve found is that this requires enhanced respiratory protection in a healthcare setting. It’s not entirely airborne and it’s not entirely droplet, but rather something in the middle. (1/n)
We know this means different things for AGMP. For the public, I think it’s a good lesson in that the “6 ft” rule isn’t a hard rule in that there’s no magic force-field that prevents the virus from going further. Infection prevention involves multiple things simultaneously (2/n).
That Swiss cheese approach comes to mind - ventilation won’t do it all. Just like masks or distancing alone won’t. When we describe transmission it’s important to discuss these principles. Scicomm is critical & I’m hoping the CDC is working to explain these pieces better (3/n)/
Understanding that grey area and how best to communicate it isn’t easy. What some might call “airborne” has a vastly different meaning in another field - that’s science though. It’s how we communicate these nuances that is critical right now. (4/4).
Adding-this really reinforces our need to reiterate that prevention & control require all these efforts. Early communication focused just on masks and/or distancing. It’s more complex and it behooves us to take the time to explain that prevention is a package, not a single item.
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