Airborne transmission unites three things crucial to recognize for effective COVID-19 mitigation: transmission without symptoms (thus aerosols), clusters driving the epidemic (also aerosols) and masks/ventilation indoors being key (hey, also aerosols). This framework is coherent.
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We had a word limit.
But the power of a coherent, empirically strong framework is that it's easier to make the case even in a short paper especially since one can dispense of the epicycles taking up useless space and just point out how it all fits together, the epi, labs, etc.4 replies 17 retweets 248 likesShow this thread -
There's good that can come out of this, including correcting our understanding or airborne transmission of other respiratory pathogens. See this letter in Science pointing out the correct aerosol/droplet boundary by
@kprather88@linseymarr et al. This is important for the future.pic.twitter.com/O8z0BqFvpE
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Anyway, it's been a true honor and pleasure to be included in this paper with my co-authors,
@trishgreenhalgh@kprather88@Rschooley@jljcolorado and@dfisman and, hey, I even liked the peer review process! The reviewers were sharp which is always good.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00869-2/fulltext …7 replies 41 retweets 366 likesShow this thread -
I want to add something. Recognizing SARS-CoV-2 as *predominantly* airborne isn’t an obstacle. It helps identify effective mitigations& chokepoints—like Japan did, for example. Airborne doesn’t mean it necessarily spreads like measles—a common error. TB is airborne but lower R0.
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“Predominantly airborne” doesn’t mean masks and distancing are useless. In fact, aerosol scientists were among the first to emphasize both. But correct theory of transmission gives both better explanations of the epidemiological record and better mitigations over a broader range.
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zeynep tufekci Retweeted Don Milton
Why this really matters. This isn’t quibbles at the margins. Its an incorrect paradigm being replaced. Some things overlap between the two, but not everything does and thus there will likely be many real changes going forward that affect *other* respiratory pathogens as well.https://twitter.com/Don_Milton/status/1382891848356741125 …
zeynep tufekci added,
Don Milton @Don_MiltonLate 90s and early 2000s when we were showing that there were respiratory virus aerosols indoors, that ventilation reduced work absence, that indoor CO2 predicted risk of infection -- peer reviewers frequently said I was crazy. It's been a long time. Sad that it took a pandemic. https://twitter.com/linseymarr/status/1382842521286549508 …24 replies 111 retweets 499 likesShow this thread -
Replying to @zeynep
Also a cultural impact if this conclusion takes hold? Folks still resent the bad early guidance to not wear masks. Wait until everyone finds out the hand sanitizer, deep cleaning, wiping down products, all of it was largely pointless in the real fight against covid...
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Just a couple weeks ago we walked into a small retail store near Cornell, and the clerk rushed over to us to make sure we understood the policy of not touching any of the products unless were were likely to buy, as a safety precaution. Talking about sweaters here.
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Replying to @vplus
Every time I write about this, there is a group of people who say "don't we already know about this?" Then we turn to reality, from around the world, where aerosol transmission is barely taken into account, let alone the case we make that it's the *primary* route.
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Your examples are silly and annoying (though no doubt they come at an opportunity cost) but worse, around the world, there are now *indoor* curfews in crowded cities with surges—sticking people even longer inside worst conditions (buildings with shared air) while closing parks.
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