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leong: filter out the noise and take action on spread of covid-19 and other diseases

as a layperson, it’s been an eye-opening experience to ...

there has been much discord over how the virus that causes covid-19 can spread over long distances. quardia / getty images/istockphoto
as a layperson, it’s been an eye-opening experience to watch science do its thing in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
the world’s smartest and brightest have been taking on the task of helping to lift us all out of the biggest public health challenge humanity has faced in more than a century.
that effort has spawned life-saving vaccines and anti-viral treatments to protect and fight against covid-19, building on years of prior research on what makes viruses tick.
but it seems at least one aspect of the science behind the coronavirus remains to be sorted out among public health officials, infectious disease experts, doctors and others.
disagreements have sometimes taken nasty turns on social media — because of course, social media — in discussions about how the virus causing covid-19 moves through the air.
from the earliest days of the pandemic, we were told how keeping our distance was one way to reduce the rate of coronavirus transmissions.
depending on where you are in the world, guidelines call for something like a metre or two of separation between people in most situations.
in addition to masking requirements, many public places have added some kind of shielding, where close quarters are unavoidable, in an attempt to reduce viral transmission.
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this was in response to a widely held understanding the virus was carried by water droplets unable to travel long distances under normal circumstances.

but a widely circulated study of a spreading situation in south korea at the outset of the global outbreak showed, under some conditions, covid-19 can travel much farther.

in that case, patrons sitting some seven metres away from an infected person eventually came down with the disease.
it turns out the lack of windows and circulation patterns caused by ceiling-mounted air conditioning were the primary culprits.

earlier this year, the world health organization updated its coronavirus q&a with this statement:  “the virus can also spread in poorly ventilated and/or crowded indoor settings, where people tend to spend longer periods of time. this is because aerosols remain suspended in the air or travel farther than one metre.”

last month, canada’s top public health official provided an understandable illustration of this.

“evidence on aerosol spread of the sarscov2 virus shows that expelled virus particles can spread over distances and linger in fine aerosols for periods of time, much like second-hand smoke,” wrote dr. theresa tam in a social media post in november.
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remember the bad old days when people could light up inside bars and restaurants? simple plexiglas shields wouldn’t be expected to prevent patrons from inhaling second-hand smoke.
meanwhile, alberta chief medical officer of health dr. deena hinshaw has been repeatedly asked of late why the province hasn’t upgraded one of its guidance documents to reflect new language on how covid-19 moves from person to person.

at her briefing last week, she essentially rejected the premise of the questions and expressed reservations about the current terminology being used to describe viral transmission,  pointing instead to recent research showing what she called a “spectrum” of spread.

alberta’s year-old document still stands, she added, noting it already warns crowded and poorly ventilated spaces are susceptible to contagion over distances greater than a metre.

droplets … aerosol … airborne … at the end of the day, you could put a feather in mr. covid’s cap and call it macaroni. what’s more important is the obvious need to improve ventilation in indoor spaces, whether it be through the addition of openable windows, air exchange and filtration systems, or something else.
this would not only help prevent the transmission of covid-19 but a whole host of other illnesses.

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you’d think this is something most everyone should be able to agree on.

rleong@postmedia.com
on twitter: @rickyleongyyc

ricky leong
ricky leong

ricky leong has worked in the daily news business for more than two decades. the vast majority of those years have been spent at the calgary sun and the calgary herald as a newsroom leader working with journalists who produce and edit daily coverage, breaking news, and special feature projects on all platforms. he also writes a weekly opinion column — a staple of the calgary sun opinion section for more than 15 years. he started his career as a reporter and copy editor at the montreal gazette and is a graduate of the journalism program at concordia university in montreal.

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