[AR] Re: ... Coronavirus
- From: Henry Spencer <hspencer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Arocket List <arocket@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 22 Mar 2020 17:50:43 -0400 (EDT)
On Sun, 22 Mar 2020, Peter Fairbrother wrote:
Masks are for the infected, to keep them from infecting others. They
provide little/no protective benefit for the uninfected.
...I keep hearing that there is no benefit - if it is true then why do
doctors etc use respirators?
In normal times, mainly to protect vulnerable *patients* from things
*exhaled* (sneezed, coughed, etc.). And they help avoid accidental
contact with body fluids when things get messy. When there is serious
risk of inhaling an airborne infection, much more elaborate gear gets worn
(where available).
Why didn't all the doctors and nurses treating ebola patients get ebola?
Ebola is not an airborne infection at all -- it is spread entirely by
physical contact. (The single biggest contribution to halting the big
Ebola epidemic in Africa a few years ago was convincing people to
temporarily discontinue funeral customs that involved touching the dead
body!)
Henry
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