School Christmas Concerts and Increased Risk of Transmission
It is that time of year again for #concerts where #school gyms are packed with people, singing, dancing, and generating a lot of respiratory aerosols with likely poor ventilation. 🧵1/
It is that time of year again for #concerts where #school gyms are packed with people, singing, dancing, and generating a lot of respiratory aerosols with likely poor ventilation. 🧵1/
Modern mechanical ventilation systems are no match for that kind of high occupancy over 90 minutes as you can see from how fast CO2 levels increased (
https://twitter.com/DavidElfstrom/status/1603236980770365442). 2/
Most people will be unmasked which means an even higher number of unfiltered aerosols going into the air in a space that is not ventilated well enough with that many people. 3/
One person using a CO2 monitor borrowed from their public library measured levels during a recent concert to be 3376 ppm which is 7.8% rebreathed air (
https://twitter.com/LadyScorcher/status/1603220169148534786). 4/
Many people don't realize that 7.8% rebreathed air at 3376 ppm actually means breathing in 32.5 litres per hour of other people's breath, like pounding back 15 two litre bottles of pop but with everyone else's breath.🤮 A calculator is available here: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d… 5/
With all the RSV, Flu and COVID circulating in the community and children's hospitals overflowing with patients, if you are going to choose to wear a mask somewhere, a school concert is that place. 6/
If you need a high quality mask but do not have access to them, you can request masks and rapid tests from here ( donatemask.ca ). 7/
One of the most important factors for an effective mask is proper fit on your face. This thread compares different types of masks with different levels of fit (
https://twitter.com/jeffgilchrist/status/1602997474657959936). 8/
If you want to learn *how* masks/respirators block viruses much smaller than the size of the holes in the filter material and why you can still smell nasty things while wearing effective masks you can find the explanations here (
https://twitter.com/jeffgilchrist/status/1602994049815908353). 9/
If you are interested in borrowing a CO2 monitor to check the ventilation in the spaces you visit, you can find a map of libraries that are lending here ( cavico2.com/map-of-librari… ). 10/
Are you looking to buy a respirator, elastomeric or even a CO2 monitor? The @DonateMask store uses 100% of money they raise to send free N95-equivalent masks and rapid tests to people in need across Canada ( buymask.ca ). 11/
They also have affordable sample packs so you can more easily try and find masks that fit you and your family ( buymask.ca/collections/ma… ). You can also donate to their charity here ( donatemask.ca ). 12/
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
