Sick of It

PSA:
Monkeypox is NOT an STI. Sexual activity constitutes very close contact, which increases the risk of transmission of virtually *every* communicable disease with human-to-human transmission.

Some peddlers of conspiracies have suggested that the current monkeypox situation is really shingles—a reactivation of varicella zoster virus that usually occurs decades after recovering from chickenpox—being misdiagnosed as monkeypox. The two diseases are markedly different in both etiology and presentation, and no infectious diseases scientist worth their salt would confuse the two. These misinformants need to stop with this monkey business.

The materials used in surgical masks, respirators, and HEPA filters are all based on the same core design—a matrix of randomly arranged fibers that disrupt airflow and—unlike sieves, which filter using an organized structure of small pores that block anything larger than the pores while allowing anything smaller to pass—capture particles via inertial impaction, interception, and diffusion, which are all essentially various ways of saying the particles crash into and stick to the fibers.

These two SEM images of a surgical mask (left) and a HEPA filter (right) are at the same scale. Note the HEPA filter has a slightly tighter fiber matrix. Because of the increased air resistance tighter fiber matrices, an airtight seal around the edges of the filter is necessary for the filter to be effective. Put another way, because masks do not have airtight seals, they must be made of a less dense material than respirators and HEPA filters. The lack of an airtight seal and looser matrix of surgical masks is why they are not as effective at capturing smaller droplets and aerosols. Though not as effective as respirators, masks are easy for anyone to wear properly. Respirators, on the other hand, require fit and seal tests performed by trained personnel; and most facial hair is a non-starter for most respirators available to the public. A properly worn surgical/cloth mask is considerably more effective than an improperly worn respirator, and essentially any mask is more effective than no mask at all. tl;dr: something doe snot need to be 100% effective in order to be of value. Even if a mask only reduced transmission risk by 10% (worn properly, masks reduce risk of transmission significantly more than 10%), if we all wear masks, hundreds of thousand of infections, tens of thousands of hospitalizations, and thousands of deaths would be prevented. #wearamask #masks #covid_19 #love #science #microbiology #immunology #ppe #publichealth #publichealtheducation #savelives #sem #scanningelectronmicroscopy

~ MASK FIBERS AND TINY PARTICLES ~

tl;dr: please wear a mask. 😷 💜

This is an SEM image of a HEPA filter, the gold standard in air purification and respiratory protection. Below the image, to-scale visual representations of the relative sizes of respiratory aerosols and a SARS-CoV-2 virion (i.e., virus particle). The focal plane in this image is extremely shallow at 87 µm—it would take many images like this to cover the entire thickness of a filter.

Note that the fibers are much farther apart than the diameters of most of the exhaled particles, yet, contrary to a common maskconception, the filter is still able to capture the vast majority of the particles. Note also that the fiber arrangement is random. This is part of the design. The goal is to disrupt the air current as much as possible as it passes through the filter material, forcing particles to take long and circuitous routes through the fiber matrix, which greatly increases the chances a particle will be captured by a fiber.

Contrast this with the ordered pattern of mesh filters and sieves, which capture particle by having pores smaller than the target particles. Masks, respirators, and air filters do not function this way. Instead, they capture particles via inertial impaction, interception, and diffusion. Furthermore, virions do not exist in nature as free-floating particles. Rather, they hitch rides on respiratory aerosols and droplets many times larger than an individual virion, making it much easier to prevent their spread through the use of masks and respirators.

So, cover your beautiful faces with a mask to keep each other safe and healthy!

💜
~K

~ MASK FIBERS AND TINY PARTICLES ~ This is an SEM image of a HEPA filter, the gold standard in air purification and respiratory protection. Below the image, to-scale visual representations of the relative sizes of respiratory aerosols and a SARS-CoV-2 virion (i.e., virus particle). Note that the fibers are much farther apart than the diameters of most of the exhaled particles, yet, contrary to a common maskconception, the filter is still able to capture the vast majority of the particles. The materials used to make surgical masks, respirators, and HEPA filters are not designed to function like a sieve. Instead, they capture particles via inertial impaction, interception, and diffusion. The focal plane in this image is extremely shallow at 87 µm—it would take many images like this to cover the entire thickness of a filter. 💜 ~K #masks #ppe #science #microscopy #covid_19 #microbiology #immunology #publichealth #publichealtheducation #love

Cases are on the rise again and the third wave is about to break. On October 23 the United States recorded the highest number of daily new cases in a single day since the start of the pandemic. The number of active cases is rising sharply, and hospitalizations and deaths will soon follow.

😷

Wear a mask, practice social distancing, and brace for impact.

#2020 @ Seattle, Washington

In the absence of a means to screen share diagrams and illustrations while streaming on FB Live via iPad, I will be posting videos in lieu of weekly livestreams.

What are the differences between PCR/molecular testing, serology testing, and other diagnostic testing? Tomorrow I will post a video giving an overview of the different kinds of tests, what the different tests can tell you, and, perhaps most importantly, what they can’t.

And the winner for the “taking advantage of a pandemic and exploiting people who are scared by selling them hype” category goes to...

I’ve dug into these masks a bit. Based on what I’ve found these are not made and tested according to ISO, ANSI, NIOSH, or OSHA standards. No testing data are made available on their website, or any performance testing data at all for that matter. The 0.1 micron measurement advertised is misleading in that it is the diameter of the fibers and not the distance between them, which you don’t actually want to be 0.1 micron, as then the mask would clog too easily, but many people don’t know that—I believe this company is trying to take advantage of those people.

Please do not spend money for a case of ridiculously gimmicky masks. You can get the same protection for a fraction of the cost

How it came to pass that prisons thought cloth masks were a good idea is beyond me, especially when disposable surgical masks provide at least as much protection without being able to function as a ligature.

💔

“A Connecticut inmate killed himself with a mask meant to prevent the spread of Covid-19, officials say.”

A Connecticut inmate killed himself with a mask meant to prevent the spread of Covid-19, officials say An inmate at a Connecticut prison was confirmed dead this week after he was found with a cloth mask intended to prevent the spread of Covid-19 tied around his neck, according to the state Department of Correction.

How does the U.S. compare to the rest of the world in active COVID cases? The two tables above show the top ten countries in terms of active cases and the top ten active cases per 1M population, respectively. As shown on the table of active cases, the U.S. ranks number one, recording more active cases than the next eight countries, COMBINED.

😱

But we have to account for population size, yes? Surely our per capita metrics are better. Only slightly, as it turns out. We rank number 2 for most cases per 1M pop.

😰

We are nowhere near ready to reopen because we never properly closed. During the peak of the lockdowns, mobility in the U.S. (as measured by cell phone location data) was down ~50%. Mobility in Europe was down ~90%.

😭

It’s going to be a heartbreaking autumn. Wear a mask.

@ Seattle, Washington

🇺🇸 The United States of America just became the first country in the world to record more than 5 million total COVID cases, leading second place by a margin of more than 2 million. COVID is living the American dream.

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