At least one-third of the world is under some type of lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic, as governments urge social distancing to stymie the virus' spread.
Some takeaways from the research:
1. You can have and transmit Coronavirus without symptoms.
2. A person can be asymptomaticā i.e. carrying Coronavirus butĀ neverĀ fall ill, or presymptomaticā i.e. someone who is infected with Coronavirus but has not yetĀ started to show symptoms.
3. Average symptom onset is around 5 days, though it can be as long as 14 days.
4. !!!Carriers of Coronavirus shed viral particles MOST AGGRESSIVELY BEFORE THEY FALL ILL!!. It is not just the āsickā who are contagious! In the 72-48 hours beforeĀ a presymptomatic carrier falls ill they are MOST contagious, with viral shed lessening as a person becomes sicker.
5. Therefore, plenty ofĀ āhealthyā people may be some of the most contagious.
6. This is why the wearing of masks is being pushed again and more strongly: Not to keep you from getting Covidā but to keep you from SPREADING it.
Please, if you must go out, WEAR A MASK WEAR A MASK WEAR A MASK. THE CDC IS NOW EMPLORING ALL WHO DO GO OUT OF THEIR HOMES TO WEAR A CLOTH MASK TO REDUCE TRANSMISSION.
Yeah wellā¦if itās not an N95 respirator, it wonāt do you any good. On the upside, I can wear a hijab and niqab and my coworkers wonāt be weirded out.
Right now, homemade masks can be a HUGE step in protecting one another in public. A face mask does not need to be medical grade in order to be effective, especially if the alternative is leaving your home bare faced.
The Covid-19 virus is 0.1 microns large. Researchers at Cambridge University tested various household materials for the effectiveness against 0.02 micron Bacteriophage MS2 particles (5 times smaller than the coronavirus).
Even just wrapping a scarf around your mouth and nose will eliminate 49% of microscopic bacterial and viral infectious material. If you make a double layered mask using a cotton blended material, the protection is significant.
Homemade masks arenāt perfect, and they still require people to observe proper PPE protocol, but this is not the time to scoff at safety precautions. Every bit makes a difference, and this is more than just a bit.
