Dr. Stuart Weiss: COVID-19 Update Monday 17, August – 2020
Dr. Stuart Weiss, FACEP, FAAP, CBCP
By Dr. Stuart Weiss, Intelligent Crowd Solutions
August 17, 2020
Today’s topics: The Death of the Neck Gaiter has been greatly exaggerated!
| Neck Gators – Still Alive and Well Last week, a small study out of Duke University set off a firestorm against Neck Gaiters. A neck gaiter is a small tube of fabric that is often worn by skiers or runners to keep them warm in cold weather. In the study, the authors suggested that wearing a neck gaiter was worse than wearing nothing and they reported finding 10% more particles while someone spoke wearing a neck gaiter compared to speaking with nothing on. This generated headlines in prominent newspapers saying that wearing a neck gaiter could be worse than wearing nothing at all. Within prominent running organizations, it prompted prolonged discussions and concerns. The authors of the Duke study pointed out that their technique for measuring particles had flaws. In fact, their findings were not actually statistically significant. Even the study authors have come out to say that their study has been misconstrued. “Our intent was not to say this mask doesn’t work, or never use neck gaiters.” Aerosol scientists have come out against the findings in the Duke study. Mask testing has consistently shown that any face covering with block some percentage of droplets generated. In an article in the New York Times, Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech and a world expert in aerosols said “The fabrics are not acting as a sharp sieve. That’s not how filtration works.” Instead of speculating, Dr. Marr and a Virginia Tech grad student tested two gaiters according to OSHA methods for testing. One was a single layer polyester gaiter and the second was a double layer polyester/elastane mix. What they found is interesting. In the New York Times article, they report that both gaiters stopped 100% of very large particles. Both gaiters blocked 50% of 1 micron particles. Smaller particles were more difficult to block. The single layer blocked only 10% of 0.5 micron particles while the double layer gaiter blocked 20%. When the single layer gaiter was doubled, it blocked more than 90% of particles. Dr Marr went on to say ““I’ve been recommending neck gaiters, and my kids wear neck gaiters. There’s nothing inherent about a neck gaiter that should make it any worse than a cloth mask. It comes down to the fabric and how well it fits.” So feel free to wear your neck gaiter when you go out in public. Any face covering is better than none and the neck gaiter is just fine. Be well and take care of yourself. There are storm clouds on the horizon. –Dr. Stu |
COVID-19 HEADLINES FOR TODAY
| Coronavirus update for August 17, 2020 World Wide Updates Nigeria will reopen airports for international flights India’s coronavirus death toll surpasses 50,000 More than 1.800 new infections in Spain in last 24 hours Czech Republic make face masks mandatory again indoors Easyjet to close 3 UK bases, putting hundreds of jobs at risk Peru, with second-highest number of infections in Latin America, adds more than 10,000 cases to total Church pastor at center of South Korea’s latest Covid-19 cluster tests positive Green recovery or “nightmare” for trade? Europe wants to tax emissions from ships Hong Kong extends social distancing measures South Korea reports 197 new Covid-19 cases Bolivia tops 100,000 Covid-19 cases amid protests over election postponement Japan reports more than 1,000 coronavirus cases for a fourth day in a row Indian cricketer-turned-politician dies after testing positive for coronavirus New Zealand election delayed four weeks over coronavirus More than 300 people connected to a church in Seoul have tested positive for Covid-19 Australia’s New South Wales government apologizes after allowing passengers to disembark from cruise ship More than 16,000 new cases in Spain since Friday Japan just reported its worst GDP figures on record China reports 22 new Covid-19 cases United States Forces Korea raises health protection level due to new outbreak in South Korea Mexico reports more than 4,000 new Covid-19 cases Australia’s Victoria state reports most Covid-19 deaths in a single day Coronavirus accelerates a mental-health crisis for Canada’s indigenous youth More than 70 workers ‘test positive at a desserts factory in UK’ Philippine government records second positive Covid-19 test Thailand suffers worst economic contraction in more than two decades Total Cases Worldwide: 21,960,361 Total Deaths Worldwide: 775,552 Total Recovered: 14,686,908 US Updates US stocks open higher New York governor says gyms can reopen with certain restrictions US Surgeon General says testing times are improving, but prevention matters more Illinois reports more than 1,700 new coronavirus cases The US has had the worst response to Covid-19 of any major country, expert says Georgia reports more than 1,800 new Covid-19 cases and 25 deaths NHL reports third consecutive week of no Covid-19 cases Former FDA commissioner, Dr. Margaret Hamburg, calls US Covid-19 response “disappointing” Texas’ health department attributes recent spike in Covid-19 positivity rate to 3 factors 300 Pizza Huts are closing after a giant franchisee goes bankrupt A Florida school principal who survived Covid-19 is urging families to choose online learning Defense Department contract awarded to scale up Covid-19 convalescent plasma treatment New York’s infection rate is the lowest since start of the pandemic, governor says Maryland establishes hotline to report potential Covid-19 violations At least 5 Florida students under quarantine after coronavirus exposure TSA sets new pandemic-era high for traveler numbers this past weekend Coronavirus positivity rates are climbing in the US Los Angeles Unified School District announces new Covid-19 testing and contact tracing program COVID-19 clinical trials lack diversity, study says Oklahoma State sorority quarantines amid coronavirus outbreak Trump says no progress on coronavirus stimulus talks as hopes fade for new $1,200 checks Total US cases: 5,595,835 Total US deaths: 173,485 Total Recovered: 2,948,299 Total Tested in US: 67,404,359 Total cases in CA: 632,846 Total deaths in CA: 11,276 Total cases in FL: 576,094 Total deaths in FL: 9,539 Total cases in TX: 559,810 Total deaths in TX: 10,003 Total cases in NY: 455,968 Total deaths in NY: 32,919 Contact us |
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