N95s Reduce the Risk

There are more studies coming out that show that N95s and fresh air help in schools, and we're still not going to act on them! 

A pre-print just came out yesterday that studied university classrooms and the way students interacted, and concluded, 

"Due to high-population density, frequent close contact, possible poor ventilation, university classrooms are vulnerable for transmission of respiratory infectious diseases. . . . When all students are wearing N95 respirators, the infection risk could be reduced by 96%." 

They also found that increased fresh air can decrease exposure by 81% and that cutting occupancy rate in half and spreading seating out can decrease exposure by 62%. 

Yet universities still demand in-person attendance without any useful mitigations in place.  

At least three years ago we knew that opening a window would help, but, in my high school at least, we were admonished for it and prevented from taking precautions because kids can't learn if they're cold. 

Nurse practitioner and clinical scientist, Erin Sanders, said, 

"I'm still stuck on this one [Long Covid is associated with severe cognitive slowing] because if we are doing this repeatedly to our children, why bother sending them to school? Why bother investing in hundreds of thousands of dollars for higher education if reinfection with a constantly mutating brain damaging pathogen is guaranteed? Schools are infection hubs. Children are superspreaders. Have been since early days. First asymptomatic cases in China were children. We send them to school to learn, to grow their minds, and interact with other adults and children in the community. But now at what cost? This? Seriously. What the fuck are we doing?" 

In Cuba, public health communication about the JN.1 variant was texted to everyone on their phones. Here's a translation from Alisa Lynn Valdés:

"Take care of yourself, wear a mask. Everyone is advised to wear a mask because the new COVID-Omicron XBB coronavirus variant is different, deadly and not easy to detect correctly. The symptoms of the new COVID-Omicron XBB virus are as follows:
1. There is no cough.
2. There is no fever. There will only be a limited number of these others: 
3. Joint pain.
4. Headache.
5. Pain in the neck.
6. Upper back pain.
7. Pneumonia.
8. Generally there is no appetite. 

COVID-Omicron XBB is five times more virulent than the Delta variant and has a higher mortality rate than it. The condition takes less time to reach extreme severity, and sometimes there are no obvious symptoms. Let's be more careful! This strain of the virus is not found in the nasopharyngeal region and directly affects the lungs for a relatively short period of time. 

Several patients diagnosed with Covid-Omicron XBB were classified as fever-free and pain-free, but x-rays showed mild chest pneumonia. Nasal swab tests are typically negative for Covid-Omicron XBB, and cases of false negatives in nasopharyngeal tests are increasing. This means that the virus can spread in the community and directly infect the lungs, causing viral pneumonia, which in turn causes acute respiratory distress. This explains why Covid-Omicron XBB has become very contagious, highly virulent and lethal.

Caution, avoid crowded places, maintain a distance of 1.5 m even in open spaces, wear a double-layer mask, use an appropriate mask, wash hands frequently, even if everyone is asymptomatic (without coughing or sneezing). This wave of Covid-Omicron XBB is deadlier than the first wave of Covid-19. So we have to be very careful and take several enhanced precautions against coronavirus. Maintain vigilant communication with your friends and family. Don't keep this information to yourself, share it as much as possible with other family and friends."

Can you even imagine our public health being so proactive in trying to prevent transmission and actually educating the public on what this variant can do and how to stay safe from it??? 

Meanwhile, yesterday I asked my local public health for their source to back up the claim currently on their website: "Hand hygiene is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of communicable diseases and infections" (emphasis mine).

They don't mention N95s at all, which really is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of airborne viruses, except to suggest we "practice respiratory etiquette," whatever that means. We know that Covid and measles and RSV and many other viruses are airborne. Are they just concerned with preventing the spread of non-airborne communicable diseases, while ignoring the viruses currently hospitalizing people?? 

It was pointed out to me that their insta site is better, but why not fix their website, the place where people go to look up current information??

Curiouser and curiouser. 

***

COVID BASICS: (1-3 from Dr. Joe Vipond): 

"1. Covid is predominantly airborne. [It can cross a room in minutes and linger for hours.]

2. Over 50% of transmission is from asymptomatic people. [They feel perfectly healthy!!]

3. Long Covid is real and impacts a substantial number of people. We've NEVER EVER EVER had these three things told to us by the system. Not once. Not by our leaders." And also...

4. Vaccines help reduce severity of cases, but can't eliminate transmission (yet), and they wane in effectiveness within months because Covid mutates so fast (because of all the spread!) 

5. N95s trap Covid using inertial impaction, diffusion, interception, and electrostatic attraction. They really work!! (2 min video explanation)

6. Covid's the #3 killer in Canada, and we don't know how many people it has disabled. Avoid being one of them. There is no effective treatment for Long Covid, only prevention. Be wise with N95s! 

Well-fitting N95s reduce transmission by about 95% - even higher if everyone wears them; cleaning the air helps by about 30%, and vaccines reduces hospitalization by 60%. Put together, we could ALL be 99.999% protected from this mess and more! We don't have to get sick every winter; it's a choice.