Urgent Petition To Keep RV Campgrounds Open

The arbitrary 5 micron droplet cutoff was not defined by physicists, it was doctors that came up with that, a long time ago. The fluid dynamicists are the ones challenging that. It is an oversimplification that was probably necessary at the time. Fluid dynamics, numerical modeling, and photographic techniques have all advanced dramatically since then. The researchers are not stating a likelihood of infection as a function of distance just that droplets can be viable at longer distance than previously thought.

There is unfortunately an arrogance and dismissive attitude that some md’s display regarding fields they know little about or even ones they did but have not kept up to date on. I have experienced that numerous times in dealing with family health issues. I’m certainly not alone in that. So I do my own research regarding what I’m being told and if it isn’t consistent with the peer reviewed literature I challenge it.

There is a lot of uncertainty regarding conditions resulting in covid19 spread. Certainly the cluster associated with the WA choir indicates that spread from being in the room with a contagious person is likely. And the success in containment in East Asia where folks wear masks and the public health officials emphasize their use also points strongly in that direction.

I personally see no downside to wearing a mask if you use proper donning and doffing procedures and will continue to do so when out in public. There are plenty of YouTube videos on how to don and doff masks, it’s not rocket science.

Originally posted by lostagain MD's aren't the only ones infected with the arrogance virus.  It also affects lawyers, engineers, scientists, in fact, pretty much every human being that has ever existed or will exist.   An interesting note, in Dr. Kim's interview, he specifically suggested that the act of singing in a choir could spread the virus very efficiently, because all the people are spewing out droplets of saliva as they shout/sing, in effect filling the room with aerosolized virus.  This was in contrast to simply being in the room or near an infected person for a short period of time.  This is consistent with what Dr. Price's comment about most infections of medical staff are where they are involved with patients without protective equipment, suggesting that PPE reduces transmission. If you are going to wear a mask, be sure to be careful with it after use.  Though it would likely be a very inefficient means of transmission, it can harbor virus particles.  So, best, if the mask is washable to launder it and dry it in a dryer where the heat will kill what the washing machine didn't.

Originally posted by lostagain "pretty much every human being that has ever existed or will exist"  --- I was trying to keep it short, make it readable, get my point across, and stay out of politics, religion, guns, etc.  I specifically included "lawyer" because I am one and am as guilty as the next person.

There is most certainly a trade off between filtering and breathability. This is a relatively good overview of the trade offs. The point being that no filter is perfect, although the N95 masks are considered excellent in terms of both protection and breathability. I believe we should think of face masks as (1) training to remind us not to touch our faces, and (2) protection for others around us just in case we are infected and don't know it.

Originally posted by GlueGuy   I think one of the advantages of the home-made masks is that you could have several of them that you can rotate through the laundry. If the clothes washer does a 45-60 minute cycle, that has to be at least 100X better than washing your hands for 20 seconds.