For the 700th time

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For the 700th time

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amother

Babypink

Tue, Dec 22 2020, 9:07 am

gold21 wrote:

What I gather from the above article is that while flu CAN pass in smaller droplet sizes, it USUALLY passes in larger droplet sizes, and is therefore more protected by mask wearing.. That is precisely a theory I suggested upthread. Didja read through my posts?

Ill take a bow now. Very Happy

Have a great day!

The article posted supports what the RN and the virologist said. No need to bow.

gold21

Tue, Dec 22 2020, 9:08 am

amother [ Babypink ] wrote:

The article posted supports what the RN and the virologist said. No need to bow.

Oh? Care to elaborate?

amother

Babypink

Tue, Dec 22 2020, 9:12 am

gold21 wrote:

Oh? Care to elaborate?

Traditionally, the CDC says influenza viruses have been spread primarily through large respiratory droplets, emitted when a person sneezes or coughs. (Technically, these droplets are still airborne since they spread through the air, but they don't fit the particulate definition of airborne). And because the flu virus can't necessarily hang in the air for hours, doctors don't necessarily consider it as airborne.

gold21

Tue, Dec 22 2020, 9:16 am

amother [ Babypink ] wrote:

I assume that the flu virus can't hang in the air for hours due to it's larger particle size. No? Less likely to be aerosolized?

Yes, I understand that there is a difference between "airborne droplets" and "aerosolized droplets", the larger of which tend to drop to the ground rather quickly. The article I posted suggested that the influenza virus can actually transmit via aerosolization, but most often does not. I found that information to be interesting, relevant, and informative. I think it definitely helps answer our questions.

It really wouldn't have been hard for anyone to share the above information clearly and kindly, without conspiracy theories along the lines of "Beware of what you post on the internet, how dare you, you useless hack. Russia is watching. " Or whatever.

Last edited by gold21 on Tue, Dec 22 2020, 2:07 pm; edited 2 times in total

amother

Babypink

Tue, Dec 22 2020, 9:30 am

gold21 wrote:

Thank you for engaging without being condescending. (Why anon though?)

I assume that the flu virus can't hang in the air for hours due to it's larger particle size. No? Am I wrong?

Why assume? What does the literature say?

amother

Babypink

Tue, Dec 22 2020, 9:33 am

gold21 wrote:

It really wouldn't have been hard for anyone to share the above information clearly and kindly, without conspiracy theories along the lines of "beware of what you post on the information, you hack. Russia is watching. " Or whatever.

your advice was to "google it".

why would anyone take the time to write?

gold21

Tue, Dec 22 2020, 9:34 am

amother [ Babypink ] wrote:

your advice was to "google it".

why would anyone take the time to write?

I googled the CDC website. Duh. Really- that's what you're going with? Why so mean spirited? Would you post this under your own screen name?

gold21

Tue, Dec 22 2020, 9:36 am

amother [ Babypink ] wrote:

Why assume? What does the literature say?

The literature does seem to indicate this.

gold21

Tue, Dec 22 2020, 9:37 am

Are you also the Hugger

So predictable....

amother

Babypink

Tue, Dec 22 2020, 9:40 am

gold21 wrote:

Are you also the Hugger

So predictable....

No.

gold21

Tue, Dec 22 2020, 9:50 am

amother [ Babypink ] wrote:

No.

OK, I appreciate that. Why anon though?

amother

Lemon

Tue, Dec 22 2020, 10:03 am

gold21 wrote:

OK, I appreciate that. Why anon though?

Why the need to b**** at people for being anon?

gold21

Tue, Dec 22 2020, 10:06 am

amother [ Lemon ] wrote:

Why the need to b**** at people for being anon?

I believe that posting anonymously for no particular reason, especially when being rather unkind, is frowned upon on this site.

amother

Orange

Tue, Dec 22 2020, 10:08 am

gold21 wrote:

I believe that posting anonymously for no particular reason, especially when being rather unkind, is frowned upon on this site.

Im one of the nurses who posted upthread
Ive posted enough, under my username, about personal details, the kind of place I work in etc. If I post that im a nurse I run the risk of people in real life figuring out who I am.

Otherwise I wouldve said it all under my username

gold21

Tue, Dec 22 2020, 10:10 am

amother [ Orange ] wrote:

Yeah, I figured, cuz you posted your occupation, that's why you went anon.

Miri1

Tue, Dec 22 2020, 10:17 am

Gold, the article you posted answers your questions as to why flu isn't spreading much.
The social distancing and masks, combined with the flu's shorter incubation period, and shorter window for pre-symptomatic / asymptomatic spread have a significant influence on spread. Also most people have some level of immunity to flu (people don't usually catch flu more than once every few years).

Now add to that the increase in flu shots, the possibility of them being 60 percent effective.

The results aren't necessarily the sum of their parts. Factors can combine to create quite remarkable outcomes.

I don't see any reason to cast doubts on the data.

But if none of this is convincing, it's also very possible that we have a late flu season. And of course some years are light, and some years intense, even when there are no major behavioral changes happening in society at large.

gold21

Tue, Dec 22 2020, 10:30 am

Miri1 wrote:

Yes, I found the article very informative, actually. Interesting stuff. I think it helped answer the questions I had, as I said above.

But like you said, there's probably a multiplicity of factors involved here, beyond the scope of the article I shared. I think it's likely a combination of all the factors you mentioned. Smile

(What data did I cast doubt on? I'm curious. By the way, I wasn't looking to be convinced. I was just throwing out a question in response to what was an already active thread. I know that a friendly question with no particular goal in mind is perhaps an atypical move on this site, but I thought it would be interesting.

Since I don't appreciate any sort of condescension in response to what I perceive as a friendly discussion [who would?], I will react to it, and this applies whether I am the recipient of that attitude or if I see it happen to someone else on this site.

Feel free to comb through my posts on this thread and see which comments I reacted to. Respectful discussion allows for respectful discussion. I love learning new things. Just share it kindly. Condescension does not allow for that sort of discussion to take place.)

Hope that clears things up.

Miri1

Tue, Dec 22 2020, 12:32 pm

[quote="gold21"]Yes, I found the article very informative, actually. Interesting stuff. I think it helped answer the questions I had, as I said above.

But like you said, there's probably a multiplicity of factors involved here, beyond the scope of the article I shared. I think it's likely a combination of all the factors you mentioned. Smile

gold21

Tue, Dec 22 2020, 1:08 pm

[quote="Miri1"][quote="gold21"]Yes, I found the article very informative, actually. Interesting stuff. I think it helped answer the questions I had, as I said above.

But like you said, there's probably a multiplicity of factors involved here, beyond the scope of the article I shared. I think it's likely a combination of all the factors you mentioned. Smile

gold21 wrote:

My apologies. I confused you with a poster upthread who posited that flu cases were being confused as covid cases.

K! And thank you for taking the time to read through my posts and reply. I appreciate it.

gold21

Tue, Dec 22 2020, 1:52 pm

amother [ Orange ] wrote:

No, in healthcare terminology flu is not considered an "airborne" virus. When something is deemed "airborne", we healthcare providers need to use PPE specifically for "airborne precautions", such as an N95 respirator mask. Airborne viruses, such as measles (and later realized, Covid), are so tiny, the aerosols can linger in the air for hours after.

But with the flu, we only use "droplet precautions" because it is spread mainly through droplets that fall to the ground, not aerosol that lingers in the air. Different virus, different size. "Droplet precautions" for flu, includes wearing a basic, typical surgical mask-the kind which everyone has been wearing now since covid.

So it makes perfect sense why we arent seeing much flu. We are wearing "droplet precautions" masks that are perfect for preventing flu.
If everyone would walk around wearing N95s, we wouldnt see covid either.

I think this post really answers a lot of the questions I had. It's interesting because it got lost in the shuffle with another poster calling me an idiot, you seemingly agreeing with her and suggesting that an interest in the topic on my part is ludicrous.... But beyond that, I do appreciate the factual post. I think it is very concise and clear. Thank you for the information. So flu virus mostly spreads via droplet (perhaps due to the larger viral particle size, which I referenced upthread), and covid mostly spreads via aerosolization. I actually specifically asked this question regarding droplet size (and this can mean larger droplet vs aeresolized micro-droplets), and how that relates to mask protection, a couple times, so if you want to read through my posts, feel free.

Your posts explain how masks could protect from the flu while simultaneously allowing other aerosolized viruses to get through (with regards to the normal viral activity we've been seeing this season other than flu).

That adds up to me. How does this translate for aerosolized viruses such as covid? How effective is mask wearing (not n95) in slowing transmission? If a virus is aerosolized, how well will an average cloth mask work?

(I would appreciate that anyone who is in a condescending mood refrain from responding.)

Last edited by gold21 on Tue, Dec 22 2020, 2:13 pm; edited 1 time in total

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