The people who wanted to propagate the "droplet" vs airborne fiction got lucky until now.
1. The serious diseases like Ebola, which is also in the air, always necessitated N95s anyways because they were so serious.
1. The serious diseases like Ebola, which is also in the air, always necessitated N95s anyways because they were so serious.
2. And for many other diseases like flu RSV rhinovirus adenovirus etc, (which are in the air), droplet precautions weren't doing anything.
BUT, people don't typically die in great numbers from these viruses.
BUT, people don't typically die in great numbers from these viruses.
So, nobody really cared.
For serious diseases the severity scared people into wearing top protection.
And for the lesser diseases, it didn't matter to those in charge. They could get away with "droplet" despite they probably knew it was airborne.
For serious diseases the severity scared people into wearing top protection.
And for the lesser diseases, it didn't matter to those in charge. They could get away with "droplet" despite they probably knew it was airborne.
Until, along came a virus that was right on the border. One or two percent case fatality instead of 0.01 or 0.02.
But, as I have said before, but it bears repeating, all these things are in the air, with us seeing more or less airborne infection depending on the contagiousness of the virus. That is, how well it binds to receptors, usually in upper respiratory tract (urt) for more spread.
And lo and behold our natural experiment on this last point is flu to pandemic flu.
Flu binds well to lower respiratory tract because our receptor there is what is similar to animal receptors.
It doesn't spread well. Lower is not good for spread. SARS and MERS for ex.
Flu binds well to lower respiratory tract because our receptor there is what is similar to animal receptors.
It doesn't spread well. Lower is not good for spread. SARS and MERS for ex.
When a flu "goes airborne", which is a term used in the literature but is stupid and meaningless because flu is already airborne, it adapts to bind better to receptors in the URT. At that moment you see more spread, the R0 has jumped, and you have a pandemic.
You see the same thing in the virological studies when they adapt to flu to bind better in the upper and lo and behold it spreads over a distance and they call it "making it airborne" or some stupid phrase like that.
In reality it was always in the air.
In reality it was always in the air.
All of these things are in the air.
Sorry no references right now but I will try to fill in later when I get some time with some of the studies on flu.
#COVIDisAirborne
#InfluenzaIsAirborne
#RSVIsAirborne
#AllRespiratoryPathogensAreAirborne
Sorry no references right now but I will try to fill in later when I get some time with some of the studies on flu.
#COVIDisAirborne
#InfluenzaIsAirborne
#RSVIsAirborne
#AllRespiratoryPathogensAreAirborne
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