No matter what the CDC says, here's why many scientists think the coronavirus is airborne.

[Eugene]

Earlier DU thread in LBN: CDC reverses itself and says guidelines it posted on coronavirus airborne transmission were wrong

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Source: Washington Post

No matter what the CDC says, here’s why many scientists think the coronavirus is airborne.

“To the general public, ‘airborne’ can evoke fear and panic. People think of the movie ‘Contagion,’ which is like ‘Jaws’ but for infectious diseases.”

By Ben Guarino, Chris Mooney and Tim Elfrink
9/21/2020, 7:04:47 p.m.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday removed language from its website that said the novel coronavirus spreads via airborne transmission, the latest example of the agency backtracking from its own guidance.

The agency said the guidance, which went up on Friday and largely went without notice until late Sunday, should not have been posted because it was an early draft.

“Unfortunately an early draft of a revision went up without any technical review,” said Jay Butler, the CDC’s deputy director for infectious diseases. “We are returning to the earlier version and revisiting that process. It was a failure of process at CDC.”

Evidence that the virus floats in the air has mounted for months, with an increasingly loud chorus of aerosol biologists pointing to superspreading events in choirs, buses, bars and other poorly ventilated spaces. They cheered when the CDC seemed to join them in agreeing the coronavirus can be airborne.

Experts who reviewed the CDC’s Friday post had said the language change had the power to shift policy and drive a major rethinking on the need to better ventilate indoor air.

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/09/21/no-matter-what-cdc-says-heres-why-many-scientists-think-coronavirus-is-airborne/

[BigmanPigman]

1. Better get goggles too!

All teachers should wear face shields. Schools must provide these as well as upgrade ventilation and filters BEFORE students return to school. The Fed Govt must provide already financially broke disticts the money and supplies.

"Aerosol transmission does increase the importance of one additional protective step, which is proper ventilation and air filtration. Airflow, either introducing new air into a room or filtering the existing air, can disperse and dilute any infectious aerosol particles, reducing a person’s potential exposure. Being outdoors is the ultimate ventilation, and for months public health officials have recommended that people socialize outside rather than in. However, with winter and colder temperatures coming, indoor air filtration and adherence to masks will become even more important."

"Armed with this knowledge, think about how you can make fall and winter safer, both physically and mentally. Instead of buying another can of Lysol, maybe invest in an air purifier, more comfortable two-ply cloth masks, or even an outdoor fire pit or space heater. Be prepared to meet friends outside in colder temperatures or insist upon masks, even in your home. We’ve still got a long way to go before we can declare victory over the novel coronavirus, but at least we know more now than we did six months ago. And you don’t have to sanitize your apples anymore."

https://elemental.medium.com/the-most-likely-way-youll-get-infected-with-covid-19-30430384e5a5