A2.(1) Major historical error in 1910 became paradigm:
+ correct observation (ease of infection in close proximity) was misinterpreted as being due to ballistic droplets
+ Stated that aerosol infection was nearly impossible
A2(3) The unquestioning proclamation of droplets as the main mode of transmission by @WHO and @CDCgov
is especially troubling, given that they have never been demonstrated to transmit any disease in the history of medicine
A2(4). Fierce resistance of aerosol trans. for 110 yrs led to only VERY contagious diseases (measles, chickenpox) being accepted as aerosol trans. Less contagious aerosol dis. not accepted
Leading to an artifact of history being confused w/ a law of nature
A2(5). The erroneous assumption that any aerosol-transmitted disease *has to be* extremely contagious leads to a lot of problems in health care, because "airborne precautions" are needed (scarce and expensive). Which leads to strong resistance
CO2 (above ~400 ppm outdoors) indicates the amount of exhaled air (& virus) trapped in a space
Also per recent scientific results by @ukhadds, CO2 helps SARS-CoV stay infectious in air much longer
@united flight boarding, pretty terrible!
2/ This is the trip so far:
-Low outdoors
-Pretty high ~2000 in @RideRTD bus to airport
- ok ~800 at @DENAirport, except restroom ~1500. Not sure why restrooms at this airport are so often poorly ventilated
- Then boarding on @united, ventilation OFF, so huge increase till ON
3/ For details of the recent results on how and why CO2 makes SARS-CoV-2 stay infectious much longer in the air, see this recent thread by @ukhadds
1/ "After four years of fighting about it, @WHO has finally proclaimed that viruses, including the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID, can be spread through the air"
3/ "Words matter. When people heard that COVID might spread on surfaces, they wasted time wiping down groceries. People who misunderstood airborne spread needlessly wore masks on outdoor walks and veered off sidewalks to avoid their neighbors."
1/ New paper in @ScienceMagazine: "Mandating Indoor Air Quality for Public Buildings"
Explaining current status of indoor air quality standards (in short: bad or non-existent), the huge health benefits that would arise from them & proposing a path forward science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…
2/ "People living in urban & industrialized societies, which are expanding globally, spend more than 90% of time indoors, breathing indoor air (IA)."
"Most countries do NOT have legislated indoor air quality (IAQ) performance standards for public spaces"