16 Comments

I’m still so confused why fully vaccinated people don’t need to quarantine if we don’t have good data about transmission from vaccinated ppl?

Expand full comment

yeah a lot of people were confused by this recommendation. you're not the only one. the thinking was mainly for healthcare workers. so if a healthcare worker is full vaccinated, they don't have to miss work for 2 weeks the next time they are exposed. this will help immensely for hospitals. their wording could have been much better

Expand full comment

Thank you so much. You are keeping me updated with great information. It's was sooooo upsetting last week when you got hacked. I am glad you are back. Keep up the great work 😊

Expand full comment

Thank you for clarifying the recommendations for vaccinated people. I was really confused reading them this morning.

Expand full comment

I think everyone was!

Expand full comment

Congratulations on the recovery of your accounts. Really appreciate the translation of double mask research here. I’d been hearing bits and pieces but couldn’t get to absorbing the full story with the demands of the family and work. Will get on it.

Expand full comment

Re: your comment “We have three small beacons of light that transmission is reduced by about 60%”:

If that from a fully vaccinated person to a non-vaccinated person?

I ask because our school (where my daughter attends and my husband teaches) and many others seem to see teacher vaccination as a silver bullet to a full return to the classroom, while cutting many of the CDC recommended mitigation protocols. For instance, our school has poor ventilation, plans for kids to eat in the classroom, we have substandard cleaning policies (on the teachers to do it while also teaching hybrid).

Our Principal has been counseled by a parent that there’s no data to support ANY transmission “yet”. Seems misleading?

Expand full comment

I mean, technically, they are correct. There hasn't been a study on transmission yet. We just have small hints. We actually got another hint from Isreal today too (which I will post about tomorrow).

Expand full comment

Does it make a difference if a person wears an actual double mask or a multi-layer single mask with a filter?

Expand full comment

filters are really effective for the wearer (not for those around them). so typically masks with those filters are not recommended

Expand full comment

Hi! I couldn’t tell from the post or supporting articles. Does the double masking help the wearer or receiver by this %?

Expand full comment

Very interested here.

Expand full comment

It's seeming more and more like the COVID vaccine will become something that needs to be refreshed every year, much like our current flu vaccines. Is that a fair assessment?

Expand full comment

yes, i think so. we always kind of thought it would be an annual or biannual shot, given our knowledge of SARS and MERS. you’ll likely get your COVID19 shot with the flu shot. But we are still waiting on a lot more information before recommendations come out

Expand full comment

Great question thank you.

Expand full comment

Re: Double Masking

Once again, the Feds weren’t clear that the important issue is tight fit, not filtration level.

Here’s something that just came out - too bad I can’t paste the graphic.

Wearing two masks offers limited benefits in preventing the spread of droplets that could carry the coronavirus compared to one well-fitted disposable mask, according to a Japanese study that modeled the dispersal of droplets on a supercomputer.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended double masking in February, saying Americans should wear a cloth mask over a disposable mask, the latest change to its recommendations on face coverings.

But a similar benefit can be had with just one correctly-fitted mask, according to the research carried out in Japan by the Riken research institute and Kobe University using Fugaku, the world’s fastest supercomputer co-developed with Fujitsu Ltd.

“While some improvement can be had wearing a cloth or urethane mask over a loosely-fitted nonwoven mask, there’s not a large difference when compared with one properly-fitted nonwoven mask,” the study said.

Wearing one tightly-fitted disposable mask prevented the spread of 85% of particles that could carry the virus, while wearing two masks lifted that only to 89%, the simulation found. One regularly fitted mask captured 81% of the droplets, while one loosely fitted mask captured just 69%.

However, the study noted that a tight fit and avoiding gaps in the mask was crucial to preventing the spread of droplets. The CDC guidance did note that the goal was to have the second mask push the edges of the inner mask against the face to provide a snug fit. Wearing two nonwoven masks was not recommended, the study said.

The supercomputer has previously been used to demonstrate what types of mask work best, and model the benefits of ventilation in preventing the spread of the virus.

Double-Masking Benefits Are Limited, Japan Supercomputer Finds

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-05/double-masking-benefits-are-limited-japan-supercomputer-finds

Expand full comment