27 Jul To Your Health: Covid-19 & Aerosol!
Part-time Telluride local Dr. Alan Safdi, a world-renowned internist and gastroenterologist with encyclopedic knowledge of mind-body wellness and preventative medicine, posts on Telluride Inside… and Out under the banner of “To Your Health.” His blogs feature the most current information in his field: health, wellness, and longevity. Which now has to mean Dr. Alan’s podcasts are all about what’s on everyone’s mind: COVID-19.
Links to a number of Dr. Alan’s podcasts/narratives on COVID-19 are below.
This week, Dr. Alan explains Covid-19 & aerosol. (See below for a link to his podcast on the subject.)
Note: Tough as it is everyone does need to be paying attention to the new normal: the corona pandemic has a death rate about 49 times higher than that of the flu in the United States. Dr. Alan’s words to the wise: “WMD”: WASH, MASK, DISTANCE.
And here is a link to a New York Times article that underlines what Dr. Alan has to say about aerosols.
Covid-19 has been able to spread like wildfire around large gatherings: religious services, choirs, restaurants, and also maybe via air-conditioning That fact cannot be explained solely by larger droplets that fall to the ground quickly.
The six-foot rule came about in the ’30s based on studies about what happens when someone coughs or sneezes, releasing large droplets laden with viral particles. Those droplets are heavy and fall to the ground or a nearby surface pretty quickly – within seconds.
However, we also release aerosols when we cough, yell, talk loudly in a crowded room or bar, sing, run, bike, etc. Those are very small particles that can float on air currents and stay afloat for some time, potentially traveling a lot farther than six feet.
Another scary things I failed to mention are public restrooms. Why? There is a tremendous amount of COVID-19 in the stool of infected individuals. Clouds of droplets can rise as much as three feet from a flushing toilet and be inhaled by the next unsuspecting user. Covid-19 in a person’s stool can also land on other surfaces or float in the air nearby.
Case in point, a recent study at Yosemite tracked the number of infected people visiting the park to check the spread of Covid-19 from restrooms, sending samples to Biobot’s lab once a week. (Biobot also happens to do testing for 400 other wastewater treatment plants in 42 states.) Based on the amount of viral material found from the samples, there may have been as many as 170 people infected in Yosemite Valley between June 30 and July 6.
Listen to this podcast for further details on aerosols and more.
Dr. Alan on Covid-19, more podcasts/narratives:
Podcast 1: Proper hand-washing technique and more!
Podcast 2: Testing for Covid-19 and what are the differences and indications for each type of test?
Ways to boost your natural immunity during this pandemic.
A report on a rising “Danger to Kids.”
What to stockpile at home during the coronavirus outbreak.
Safe-distancing from runners and bikers.
Dr. Alan, more:
Dr. Alan Safdi is board-certified in Internal Medicine and in Gastroenterology and is a Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology. A proven leader in the healthcare arena, he has been featured on the national program, “Medical Crossfire” and authored or co-authored numerous medical articles and abstracts. Safdi has been involved in grant-based and clinical research for four decades and is passionate about disease prevention and wellness, not just fixing what has gone wrong. He is an international lecturer on the subjects of wellness, nutrition and gastroenterology.
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