Here I will try to compile some of the good examples that others should copy.
2G/ UK Government: "COVID is like smoke" with a clear visualization:
[Note that many countries have both good and bad examples. Such is the situation we are in, as @WHO et al. don't provide a strong message that would lead to the good mssgs prevailing]
7G/ PORTUGAL: National Health Service (@SNS_Portugal) gives a clear message about airborne transmission indoors. Advises ventilation, physical distancing, and masks.
8G/ VIETNAM: IPC Guidelines of the Ministry of Health (@VNGovtPortal) recommend "controlled ventilation in examination and patient rooms", "to prevent AIRBORNE infections"
9G/ USA: CDC Environmental Health (@CDCEnvironment) has some good materials about improving ventilation, including upgrading HVAC filters, using HEPA filters, and running exhaust fans.
The main @CDCgov doesn't promote these, but at least they are there
19G/ JAPAN; Business owners are advertising the fact that they monitor CO2 levels in-store (keeping levels below 1000ppm) to encourage customers to visit their stores.
They upload real-time store CO2 levels on Google Maps!
- About 90% of transmission is through aerosols, often without symptoms
- Ventilation is very important
- Well fit mask important
- Works for the flu and other resp. infections
31G/ JAPAN 🇯🇵 (Hidaka City): Free distribution of CO2 monitors to 900 offices. To monitor & reduce risk of (dominant) airborne transmission of COVID-19
@ToshiAkima: "This is why Japan's COVID case rates are under control"
- Mask mandate indoors
- PCR Pool-Test 2x per week + extra rapid test if delayed PCR
- Air cleaners subsidized for all classrooms (currently only 50% bf Christmas)
- or ventilating every 20 minutes
- Mask mandate. Schools can get FFP2 from authorities
- 90% of all class rooms with air cleaners AND ventilating every 20 minutes
- Test 3x / wk
- mass vaccinations - opportunities in every school
35G/@WHO🇺🇳: finally admitted clearly on webpage: transmission in close proximity is SHORT-RANGE AIRBORNE (not just "droplet") & long-range airborne is important
[But if webpage is updated quietly in the forest & nobody hears about it, does it help?]
37/ FRANCE🇫🇷: MP @M_Orphelin brought a CO2 monitor to Parliament today:
- Pointed out CO2 > 800 ppm in parliament, until some MPs left after a vote
- Recommended that the government massively installs them in each classroom
38/ SINGAPORE🇸🇬: Ventilation improv. ongoing for more than a year
- >= MERV14 filters
- CO2 monitoring
- Good guidelines on air cleaners: recommends filters, UV
- Does NOT recommend chemical sprays and electronic ones (ions etc.)
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"