Thread by @HuffmanLabDU

I was happy to contribute to this nice @medpagetoday article by @adambrosio_ reporting on the recent #CDC brief explicitly acknowledging inhalation risk of COVID.

Short thread with some quotes, CDC links, reflections. (1/x)
medpagetoday.com/special-report…

2/ I told her that IMO: "One of the most important aspects of the recent CDC updates is that they finally remove the ambiguous, 'close-contact' terminology, which just confused the whole discussion".

That's because ...
cdc.gov/coronavirus/20…

3/ "'close-contact' refers to a distance between people -- and not a process of transmission"

"previous guidance was unclear, because it did not distinguish that inhalation can occur at both short and long distances."

4/ The improved #CDC messaging is so important, in part, b/c the resp. disease transmission process determines the prevention steps:

1⃣ Aerosol Inhalation- distance, tight/HQ masks, ventilation
2⃣ Drop spray- distance, surgical masks, face shields
3⃣ Touch- hand, surface hygiene

5/ Even since the scientific brief last Friday (5/7), #CDC released another great step forward on 5/10 by updated their page on "How COVID-19 spreads".

One quibble here is that it doesn't yet clarify that #bettermasks are required for inhalation vs spray.
cdc.gov/coronavirus/20…

6/ Insight in the article also from @brosseau_lisa, who "said that fomite spread is most relevant for individuals who are in close, hands-on contact with COVID-19 patients. In healthcare settings, for example, providers may touch surfaces ..."

7/ "... that were directly sneezed or coughed on by infectious individuals, and then touch their own eyes, nose, or mouth. In these cases, hand hygiene (as well as appropriate PPE) is vital to mitigate risk of infection."

8/ "It's the three mitigation strategies -- distance, ventilation, and masking -- that I think we have to put together in an individualized way for each pathogen," said @MonicaGandhi9

An interesting proposal:

https://twitter.com/MonicaGandhi9/status/1392522724786851843

9/ One clarification: "[Huffman] stated that it is hard to unambiguously separate airborne spread and droplet spread."

Yes, BUT ... there is plenty of evidence to support the inhalation route, and none that I'm aware of that yet supports the significance of the spray route.

10/ For more on the two recent #CDC updates, see these links and reflections of relief & excitement by various scientists.
May 7 : cdc.gov/coronavirus/20…
May 10: cdc.gov/coronavirus/20…

https://twitter.com/HuffmanLabDU/status/1391173429592838144