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Isaac Bogoch Profile picture
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11 Oct, 4 tweets, 2 min read
Fomite transmission (from inanimate objects) of SARS-CoV-2 is much less of an issue than previously thought.

Some recent data:
bit.ly/3nEtDH9
bit.ly/2FnTeD4

Hand hygiene is still important & I hope better hand hygiene is a lasting legacy of this pandemic.
Policy is keeping up with emerging data...

For example the CDC acknowledges that one can get infected from touching contaminated surfaces, but adds...

"Spread from touching surfaces is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads."

bit.ly/2SMi0Q8
Also, in a recent Lancet letter:

"Our findings suggest that environmental contamination leading to SARS-CoV-2 transmission is unlikely to occur in real-life conditions, provided that standard cleaning procedures and precautions are enforced."

bit.ly/3jVCsu8
Hand hygiene and washing high-contact surfaces is still clearly important. Some may over-do it a bit (e.g. "hygiene theatre")...we just cant ignore bundled public health measures that also include masking indoors, physical distancing, etc.

bit.ly/33PJMlc

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More from @BogochIsaac

Isaac Bogoch Profile picture
19 Sep
1/

More data demonstrating the low (but not 0%) risk of acquiring #COVID19 on flights.

2 business class passengers likely transmitted virus to 2 flight attendants on this 15 hour flight in early March, 2020.

No mention of masks.

bit.ly/3iKYMGf
2/
2nd example: On a 10 hour flight, 1 person (also reported in business class) likely transmitted to 16 others, out of 217 passenger & crew. Proximity a risk.

Once again: "Face masks were neither recommended nor widely used on airplanes in early March"

bit.ly/2ZTwT7c
3/

Could there be something about business class that facilitates transmission (e.g. seating arrangement/air flow, lax mask use)? Is this a real issue vs reporting bias? Not sure.

Other examples of rather limited #COVID19 transmission on planes here 👇

Read 4 tweets
Isaac Bogoch Profile picture
30 Jul
1/
#COVID19 transmission on a train:

This study quantified the risk of infection based on duration and proximity to an infected person.

"Overall attack rate of COVID-19 in train passengers with close contact with index patients was 0.32%"

bit.ly/3hRhH1e
2/
TIME on train:
-Attack rate with 1-hour co-travel time is 0.25%, and with 7 hours 0.38%

PROXIMITY to case:
-Closer to index case = higher risk (shocker).
-3.5% attack rate if sitting next to case
-Attack rate drops significantly if >2 rows apart
3/
Take home points:

-Spread apart as much as possible
-Wear a mask
Read 4 tweets
Isaac Bogoch Profile picture
10 Jul
The incredible S. Korean #COVID19 nightclub outbreak response:

>40k tests revealed 246 confirmed cases: 39% primary & 61% secondary

This is the gold standard of how to effectively conduct contact tracing, especially in stigmatized populations (see below) bit.ly/2ZQpnJC
"...prejudice against homosexuality, gay men in South Korea...discrimination & stigmatization...often unwilling to reveal their sexual identity. Thus, the Seoul Metropolitan Government consulted sexual-minority groups to discuss ways to encourage testing among gay men."👍👍👍👍
"To conduct contact tracing for this outbreak, we used multiple forms of advanced information technology, including location data from mobile devices, credit card payment history,...
Read 5 tweets
Isaac Bogoch Profile picture
28 Jun
1/
 Masks....my least favourite topic of the #COVID19 pandemic.

There is an argument to mandate these in Canada.

I think (at this point in our epidemic) this is not the right approach...at least not for now. We may come to it, but certainly not now.

tinyurl.com/yablxv4j
2/
 Nobody is arguing that masks don't work at an individual level. They help reduce the probability of transmitting infection - we've known this long before #COVID19.

Proximity and duration of exposure to an infected person are key factors, especially in indoor settings...
3/ ...so put a mask on when going indoors in a public setting, especially one where you can't physically distance yourself from others, & especially in areas of #COVID19 transmission. Pretty straight forward.

But mandates for masking? Right now? In Canada? Not now. Maybe later.
Read 15 tweets
Isaac Bogoch Profile picture
10 Apr
1/
 A study on air and environmental samples tested for #COVID19 via PCR on hospital wards and ICU settings:

Positive tests on:
-computer mice: ICU 6 of 8, ward 1 of 5
-trash cans: ICU 3/5, ward 0/8
-bed handrails: ICU 6/14, ward 0/12
-doorknobs GW 1/12

bit.ly/2xlmRkb
2/
1. "... the virus can be tracked all over the floor, as indicated by the 100% rate of positivity from the floor in the pharmacy, where there were no patients."

2. "half of the samples from the soles of the ICU medical staff shoes tested positive."
3/
Air samples tested:

-In ICU, positive test results in "14 samples positive of 40 samples tested

-2 samples positive of 16 samples tested on hospital wards

[important limitations below]
Read 5 tweets
Isaac Bogoch Profile picture
6 Apr
1/
Masks:

Dr. Tam today on non-medical masks:

-"wearing non-medical masks, even if you have no symptoms, is an additional measure that you can take to protect others around you in situations where physical distancing is difficult to maintain."
2/
She goes on:

-"...wearing a non-medical mask has not been proven to protect the person wearing it."

-"Cannot back off public health measures" and continues to recommended physical distancing, hand hygiene, and cleaning high touch surfaces
3/
Recall there are 2 different (slightly overlapping) questions:

1. Does wearing a mask protect me from getting #COVID19?

And

2. If everyone wore a mask, would this help stop or slowdown the spread of the virus?

*in Jan/Feb/March we were mostly asking question 1 in Canada
Read 12 tweets

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