The Highly Contagious Coronavirus (COVID19)

In December of 2019, news began coming in that China was being overrun with the highly contagious coronavirus (COVID19).  This prompted overseas customers to begin shopping for protection from the airborne illness; however, “the sudden increase in demand for “Personal Protective Equipment” (PPE) and the interrupted supply lines in China led to a critical shortage of small particle filtering face masks (N-95s) and fitted rectangular sneeze guards (surgical masks)” (Indestructibles).

By February 2020, the coronavirus (COVID19) was rapidly spreading throughout the world, thus bringing panic to North America. 

By March 2020, when President Trump closed foreign airline travel into the United States, online shopping for masks to protect against this dangerous disease soared even higher, resulting in price gouging in various areas (toilet paper, masks, hand sanitizer, disinfectant spray, disinfection wipes, as well as basic food staples).

As we’ve learned, the coronavirus (COVID19) is highly contagious.  Unlike other viruses that have circled the globe and were very deadly yet not as easily transmitted the coronavirus (COVID19) is spread quickly from person-to-person in droplets of moisture, mucus, and saliva from people with infections.  While it does not kill everyone who contracts it, it is very contagious and will cause difficulties in the carriers in some form. 

Coughing, sneezing, and even normal breathing put these virus particles into the air. One sneeze can put out thousands of droplets, and so those who care for their communities opted to begin wearing face coverings from the outset of the coronavirus (COVID19).

There have been differing studies on the distance a cough or sneeze can travel, as well as the length of time these virus particles live on surfaces and in the air.  After all, each person's cough or sneeze power will vary depending on lung capacity, projectile strength, mucus viscosity, and so on.  What can be agreed upon is that people standing less than 6 feet away from an infected person can become covered with these virus particles, and therefore, Social Distancing became the catch-phrase of the pandemic…stay at least 6 feet away from others. 

MIT Studies the Sneeze

However, research is now showing sneezes can launch the virus up to 20 feet away and travel even further in an enclosed room with air circulation in the building (air conditioning or heating systems).  One can become infected while the virus is still in the air by passing by the infected person, touching coughed on items, or standing in a room with infected particles floating through the air. After the droplets fall, the virus particles can remain active for nine or more days.  

The video below shows one study from Japan about the coronavirus; however, the exact distance of a cough or sneeze and the lasting effects of the virus in particles vary over a few different studies.  What remains consistent in the studies is this:

1. wear a mask, 
2. wear a mask with a filter if possible,
3. stay at least 6-feet from others while outside your home, 
4. do not touch your face while outside your home, and
5. wash your hands often (as soon as you return home from an outing and throughout the day while you are out).

You can watch the full video HERE, or click the embedded video above and watch from the 3:46-4:58 minute mark for an awesome visual representation of the transmittal of coughs. If your system shows "Watch this video on YouTube" when you click the play button above, simply follow the link directly to YouTube to see the droplet demonstration.

Videos about Fluid Projection 
(Sneezing and Coughing)

How Far Can a Sneeze Travel

All About Sneezes!

"Snot" Experiment Video

"Spreading Germs" Experiment

Shadowgraph Imaging of Human Exhaled Airflows

Controversy: 
Transmission and Mask Usage

FLU Science
(Even though COVID-19 is NOT the FLU, some basic principles from this video apply.)
 











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Patterns and information 
from JM Ashville through Indestructibles 
below and through the link provided.

Why You Should Make (and wear!) Your Own Cloth Face Mask (and how to do it)

With highly contagious coronavirus (COVID19) rapidly spreading throughout the world, many people are shopping for surgical masks to protect against this dangerous disease.

The sudden increase in demand for “Personal Protective Equipment” (PPE) and the interrupted supply lines in China have led to a critical shortage of small particle filtering face masks (N-95s) and fitted rectangular sneeze guards (“surgical masks”).

News reports, appropriately seeking to reserve limited supplies of these disposable items for medical institutions, have been asking people not to purchase these items. Public officials have been quoted suggesting that face coverings can’t help prevent the spread of this new virus.

The truth is more complicated:

COVID19 is spread from person-to-person in droplets of moisture, mucus and saliva from people with infections. Coughing, sneezing, and even normal breathing put these virus particles into the air. One sneeze can put out thousands of droplets.

People standing less than 6 feet away may become covered with these virus particles while they are still in the air. After the droplets fall, the virus particles can remain active for up to nine days.

Infection occurs when someone breathes in airborne droplets, or when they touch their mouth, nose or eyes with hands covered in virus particles that have fallen out of the air onto counters, handrails, floors or other surfaces.

Wearing a face mask helps stop people from becoming infected in two ways:

1) By blocking most airborne droplets filled with virus from being inhaled

2) By stopping the wearer from touching their own mouths and noses.

Studies have shown that medical professionals using surgical face masks correctly get 80% fewer infections than those who don’t.

So why the mixed messages?

First, because the protection only comes when the masks are used properly. They must be put on clean, taken off carefully, and paired with rigorous hand washing, and the discipline not to touch the face.

Second, because gaps around the masks and between the fibers in the masks, even in commercial surgical masks, are too large to block all viruses. Sneeze and cough droplets are usually between 7 and 100 microns. Surgical masks and some cloth masks will block 7-micron particles but the COVID19 virus particles are 0.06 to 0.14 microns.

So why should you make your own face masks?

1) In the event you become sick, having a supply of masks at home will give some level of protection to friends and family while you seek medical advice. It will certainly be better than no mask at all (see research notes).

2) By making your own, and hopefully, for family and friends, you will be decreasing demand on limited supplies of industrially manufactured, disposables, which are desperately needed by hospitals and nursing homes.

3) These comfortable, curved shaped masks rest closer to the face, with fewer gaps than rectangular surgical masks.

4) Our homemade designs are washable, making them environmentally friendly.