Paul Goldfinger, MD—I encourage you to click on the links below:
El Paso, Texas. NY Times photograph. Tight and poorly ventilated high risk space.
The New York Times (5/7, Rabin, Anthes) reported on Friday, the CDC “updated public guidance about how the coronavirus spreads, emphasizing that transmission occurs by inhaling very fine respiratory droplets and aerosolized particles, as well as through contact with sprayed droplets or touching contaminated hands to one’s mouth, nose or eyes.” The agency “now states explicitly – in large, bold lettering – that airborne virus can be inhaled even when one is more than six feet away from an infected individual.”
Types of Spread:
COVID-19 is spread in three main ways
- Breathing in air when close to an infected person who is exhaling small droplets and particles that contain the virus.
- Having these small droplets and particles that contain virus land on the eyes, nose, or mouth, especially through splashes and sprays like a cough or sneeze.
- Touching eyes, nose, or mouth with hands that have the virus on them.
Dr David Michaels, an epidemiologist from George Washington University said, “There’s more exposure closer up, but when you’re further away, there’s still a risk, and also these particles stay in the air.”
“The new information has significant implications for indoor environments, and workplaces in particular,” Dr. Michaels said. “
Virus-laden particles maintain their airborne properties for hours and they accumulate in a room that doesn’t have good ventilation.”
Paul Goldfinger, MD: (Blogfinger Off-Shore School of Medicine, Ocean Grove) :
These new guidelines are most applicable in poorly ventilated indoor spaces, and outdoors the risk is much less. But if outdoors in a crowd, you need to be careful. Virus can linger in the air for awhile.
As far as our outdoors Yard Sale on May 15, just avoid clumping together as you hang around shopping and chatting. Many of us think that masks can be removed outdoors, and that is generally true, for example on the boardwalk, but keep them on if you are shopping at a yard sale where there may be times when people cannot or will not distance, even for a few minutes.