📍FAUCI SAYS THE CORONAVIRUS IS AIRBORNE—it’s not official until the Fauci sings. And Dr Fauci has come out strongly:

“Bottomline, there’s much more aerosol 💨 than we thought”. #COVID19

Moreover, #SARSCoV2 also found in:

📌Stool
📌Blood
📌Semen
📌Eye secretions

➡️ Thread🧵
2) We are also certain that masks reduce aerosol airborne transmission—older June article below. But the new revelation by Fauci is that bigger particles >5 microns (traditionally “droplets” also stay in air long time). Hence why virus is more airborne. https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6498/1422
3) And there is quite a bit of evidence built up on aerosols vs large droplets that usually get gravity pulled down and fomites (surface contact transmission). https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1309539545994743809
4) So what does this mean? Ventilation & masks to start. But 6 feet rule still important even with masks/vent, because aerosol plume is more concentrated short range, even if aerosol can transmit both short & long. Figure by @ShellyMBoulder. Indoors, we really need to ventilate.
5) How else to visualize the difference? Aerosols can stay in the air for many hours depending on ventilation. Typical air exchange every 20 min to 4 hrs.
6) And this is how masks are important. Watch the aerosols under laser night light with and without masks.
7) But once a droplet or particle lands on something, it can maybe also be picked back up into the air too. A recent study that show fomites (infectious particles on a surface) can also *become* aerosolized. Details in earlier thread🧵 on aerosolized fomites. https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1296503184572243969
8) How do you quickly ventilate a room! There are many right and wrong ways. This video explains what is truly needed to clear a room with fresh air. Note it was made by Japanese researchers who recognized the coronavirus was airborne long ago. #COVID19
9) Also, don’t hate the messenger—but tissue paper w/ influenza can also be aerosolized. “We further demonstrate that aerosolized fomites can be generated from inanimate objects, such as by manually rubbing a paper tissue contaminated w/ influenza virus.” https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-17888-w
10) And they go on: “During #COVID19 pandemic in China, air sampling in various hospitals found the highest airborne genome counts of #SARSCoV2 in rooms where health care workers doffed their PPE, hinting that virus was possibly being aerosolized where clothing being removed” ⚠️
11) To be clear — the coronavirus is MOST DEFINITELY aerosol & airborne. Long thread 🧵 detailing 🏔of evidence and reasons why & how we know. If anyone doubts and wants to see more studies. - use this 🧵 below as an explainer👇 (note it was written before weird CDC retraction). https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1308008060854599686
12) And yes, Dr Fauci mentioned semen fluid having infectious virus. This has been known for a few months. There is also mention of “privileged immunity of the testes” being shielded from rest of body. Wont spoil anyone’s day here—read thread 🧵 below to get the scoop. https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1258818134959689734
13) FECAL AEROSOLS—We already test wastewater for the coronavirus, so what about fecal aerosols? And yes, there is a study that suggests “fecal aerosol transmission may have caused the community outbreak of COVID-19 in high-rise building” via septic pipes.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7464151/
15) My other worry is that US don’t have a toilet lid (it’s weird), and often bathrooms are poorly ventilated. So even if you enter a bathroom alone, you never know what plume someone left in the air before you. I think wearing premium mask good precaution for public restrooms.
16) Bathrooms are a bigger issue than people realize. There was another case of a Korean woman who carefully wore an N95 mask on a plane entire time *except when using the ✈️ bathroom 🚽*—and then contracted the coronavirus. Assuming she handwashed, it suggests aerosol. https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1298726519259443200
17) Speaking of airplanes, there are now many other transmission cases. First documented one involved a man who wore a mask, but let the mask SLIP UNDER HIS NOSE... and then caught #COVID19 from his neighbors across the aisle. It’s a tricky virus. https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1288115219823091715
18) BOTTOMLINE: What we should remember is AEROSOL being airborne completely changes #COVID19 infection prevention. 6 feet insufficient. Indoors avoid any other groups, ventilate, HEPA filtrate (MERV13 or better), consider premium masks if others not wearing, & careful bathrooms!
19) Important followup: with ventilation, indoor vs outdoor, speaking volume, mask and contact duration—here is how to piece it together in LOW MEDIUM HIGH risk. It’s not precise but good rule of thumb. HT to @trishgreenhalgh and her team for putting it out.
You can follow @DrEricDing.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled:

By continuing to use the site, you are consenting to the use of cookies as explained in our Cookie Policy to improve your experience.