My job requires me to work in a laminar flow which has a HEPA filter that filters out 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns in size; this includes bacteria, fungi and viruses. Even one microbe on a Petri dish can grow and over-ride an explant in a few hours. The HEPA filter prevents this. This experience got me to musing about the present situation and the insufficient guidance being given, which led me to write this article.

The new coronavirus which causes COVID-19 is about 0.125 microns wide. A micron is 0.001 mm. As reference, human hair is between 17-181 microns wide. This virus remains infective in large or small droplets from a cough, sneezing, talking or just breathing, which can be blown quite far from an infected person, who may or may not have visible symptoms. The large droplets are 5-10 microns wide and fall towards the earth quickly. The smaller droplets stay in the air longer and can float longer distances. Coughing, singing, or even raising one’s voice to be heard can cause these small droplets to travel further than the recommended 6 feet. This new virus can remain viable for several hours in these small droplets. We are fighting a virus that spreads easily.

Think about this: if you sneeze into your elbow and then offer the elbow instead of your hand as a way of greeting, what do you think will happen? When you accept change in the bus, the virus could be on the money. So what should you do? Accept it into a plastic bag and spray with 70% alcohol and wait a couple of hours before adding it to your purse.

We are asked to wear masks, but do we understand why, how, when, and what?

See ful story below.