CDC is dropping the ball on explaining the effect of...¶
The CDC is dropping the ball on explaining the effect of weather on viral aerosol.
Remember the guideline on staying 6 feet away from people? That's based on the (inaccurate) notion that most of the viable virus is found in large droplets, which sink before they can be inhaled. This has been debunked over and over: the virus remains viable even into tiny particles that can stay suspended and spread through the air like smoke. And the mechanics of transmission have a LOT to do with how much of what you exhale ends up as this viral "smoke." In the winter, the air gets very dry. Cold air can't hold as much water, so the humidity plummets. In this environment, the larger respiratory droplets rapidly lose their water--and their mass. They become tiny particles, easily suspended in the air and spread long distances. This is a pattern we've known for a long time for other airborne viruses, hence winter's reputation as flu season, RSV season, and so forth.
Every year, the CDC quietly puts out vague warnings about how we'll see a winter uptick in respiratory disease, without explaining why. Bottom line: wear a respirator in public EVEN OUTSIDE. The chance of you walking through an invisible cloud of suspended viral aerosol increases dramatically at low humidity.
I know it sucks, but please be safe. Every infection is dangerous, and every infection can be avoided. I'm still on private for now, but feel free to screenshot and share.
A few useful sources: https://t.co/MdrZVhEfL2