Before this gets out of hand. "Distance doesn't matter" IS NOT what "it's airborne" or primarily aerosol-transmitted means or implies, and the headline is not reflecting correctly a modeling paper they are using says. Calling in @linseymarr and @jljcolorado among others.https://twitter.com/CNBC/status/1385628971086323719 …
-
Show this thread
-
What's true is that in a "well-mixed" room (VERY IMPORTANT ASSUMPTION IN THE MODEL IN THAT PAPER BEING REPORTED ON), if you spend long enough time, distance isn't *completely* protective which IS NOT AT ALL THE same as "distance doesn't matter" or that 6 and 60 feet are the same.
11 replies 184 retweets 1,003 likesShow this thread -
zeynep tufekci Retweeted Prof. Jose-Luis Jimenez
Perhaps the most important misunderstanding has been assuming aerosols=long distance only. No, they do not teleport from a person to over two feet away a la "beam it over there, Scotty." Aerosols ALSO concentrate around the person and dilute with distance.https://twitter.com/jljcolorado/status/1385708443537866758 …
zeynep tufekci added,
Prof. Jose-Luis JimenezVerified account @jljcoloradoAgree with@zeynep. Distance is about the most importance measure for an airborne pathogen (see diagram below from@linseymarr). The authors say it is less so with masks. But masks in the real world are mixed quality and poor fit, so air goes everywhere. Best to keep distance https://twitter.com/zeynep/status/1385707216280375298 … pic.twitter.com/M2RkWPuO4a11 replies 155 retweets 645 likesShow this thread -
I'd suggest that it doesn't help to jump from "distance isn't fully protective especially if you sit long enough in an enclosed space where the air keeps mixing" to headlines like "6 feet and 60 feet are the same!". Again
@linseymarr and others have great work on this.9 replies 55 retweets 496 likesShow this thread -
zeynep tufekci Retweeted Kimberly Prather, Ph.D.
Another from an expert.Of course aerosol concentration dilutes with distance (and very quickly outdoors for obvious reasons!) but if the space is enclosed, they can keep accumulating, and "6 feet" isn't some magic bubble—especially if you stay long enough.https://twitter.com/kprather88/status/1384162849354776579 …
zeynep tufekci added,
Kimberly Prather, Ph.D.Verified account @kprather88Replying to @tdonaghey @WHO @CDCgovIn general, the concentration falls off as a function of distance. However, this can get complicated by the fact that aerosols don't fall to the ground but instead can build up over time in poorly ventilated indoor spaces.6 replies 83 retweets 421 likesShow this thread -
zeynep tufekci Retweeted Dr. Alex Huffman (he/him)
Adding. It goes without saying that I'm just a vehicle here, reflecting years of research on this topic by many scientists. I'd like that headline corrected, at a minimum, though, @RichMendezCNBC. Telling people distance doesn't matter at all isn't okay.https://twitter.com/HuffmanLabDU/status/1385722709271711745 …
zeynep tufekci added,
Dr. Alex Huffman (he/him) @HuffmanLabDUReplying to @BedrockConcept @macroliter @StanfordThe point is that the authors numerically modeled the physical process of aerosol spread & they applied the assumption that air in a room is well-mixed. So the headline the editors picked really plays on their base assumption more than the actual results. https://twitter.com/zeynep/status/1385707216280375298 …9 replies 36 retweets 336 likesShow this thread -
Replying to @zeynep
I’m sorry you don’t agree with the study’s conclusions, but if you read the full article you will see that the headline and article are accurate. That is what they told us.
9 replies 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @Dawn_Kopecki
Maybe you should talk to some people who've been publishing in this very field for years? Even if they told you that, it is a dangerous, misleading headline to put there that you should check with others (not me!). This is not some empty science field.
1 reply 0 retweets 24 likes -
Replying to @zeynep @Dawn_Kopecki
It's not okay to put such a big claim in the headline with nobody else consulted even if, as you say, two MIT professors who have not published in this field before (with all due respect to their model) told you that's what their study means: that distance doesn't matter at all.
2 replies 0 retweets 14 likes
A good many people in this field, who acknowledge and have published on airborne transmission for years, are in this thread explaining the problem. I could recommend more. Could you check with them and others before telling people that a life-saving mitigation is useless?
-
-
Replying to @zeynep
We would love to talk with them, but this story wasn’t about their opinions, it was about the conclusions of the MIT researchers.
14 replies 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @Dawn_Kopecki
It's not their "opinions", it's the overwhelming if not the complete consensus of the field of people who actually publish on this topic and have for a long time. Again, your model is a "well-mixed" room. If you want to keep a dangerously misleading headline up, I can't stop you.
2 replies 2 retweets 16 likes - Show replies
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.