By Dr. Stuart Weiss, Intelligent Crowd Solutions – Rapid Test Center of NY

Rapid Test Center of New York
Dr. Stuart Weiss, FACEP, FAAP, CBCP

February 10, 2021

CoViD-19 News and Information you can trust.Welcome new readers from the Rapid Test Center.

Topics: Double Masking, Change in CDC Quarantine Guidance, Too Much Time

New Testing Centers coming soon: We are close to opening testing centers in Chelsea in Manhattan and Westchester County.

So where are we with masks? The CDC released data today showing that masks make a difference in the transmission of the Sars-CoV-2 virus. This follows some good articles in the scientific literature recently showing that mask usage does work. There is a direct correlation between mask usage and new cases. In Arizona, during the summer 2020 surge, there was an impressive reduction in CoViD-19 transmission when a statewide mask mandate went into effect and people followed it. In Kansas, where counties imposed mandates unevenly during the summer, CoViD-19 cases decreased in counties with mask mandates and continued to increase in counties without mask mandates. A recent paper from Germany showed a 47% reduction in transmission over a 20 day period when a mask mandate was enforced. Lastly, there is a study in hamsters showing the more viral particles you inhale, the worse your disease. Wearing a mask may reduce the amount of particles you inhale if you are exposed and give you a milder case or give you a better chance of surviving. In the CDC article today in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), they looked at surgical masks and two layer masks. Recently, you have been hearing many government officials like Dr. Fauci and CDC director Dr. Walensky speaking about double masking and this is why. Single surgical masks tend to have gaps that let air in and out. Surgical masks blocked about 42% of the particles in the CDC simulation that was published. A plain cloth mask blocked about 44% of the particles. Here is the important part: a combination of a surgical masks covered by a tight fitting cloth mask blocked out 92.5% of the particles. The surgical masks provided good filtration while the cloth masks closed the usual gaps. In a great summary article recently published by Monica Gandhi and Linsey Marr (HERE) they put out a couple of recommendations: 1. Wear a cloth mask tightly over a surgical mask or 2. Wear a three layer masks with two cloth layers and a middle layer made of a HEPA filter vacuum bag (the vacuum bag can filter out almost 100% of particles) Don’t go crazy adding layers. Each layer adds to the work of breathing and after a while, you end up with an incredible filtration mask that you can’t breath through without passing out. CDC Quarantine Guidance Change Today the CDC changed its guidance for people who are fully vaccinated and are exposed to a positive case. Vaccinated people with an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed CoViD-19 are NOT required to quarantine if they meet the following criteria: 1. Are fully vaccinated (i.e., ≥2 weeks following receipt of the second dose in a 2-dose series, or ≥2 weeks following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine) 2. Are within 3 months following receipt of the last dose in the series 3. Have remained asymptomatic since the current COVID-19 exposure Persons who do not meet all 3 of the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidance after exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Its important to note that vaccinated people should continue to follow current guidance to protect themselves and others, including wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet away from others, avoiding crowds, avoiding poorly ventilated spaces, covering coughs and sneezes, washing hands often, following CDC travel guidance, and following any applicable workplace or school guidance, including guidance related to personal protective equipment use or SARS-CoV-2 testing. To Much Time On Their Hands Department In a stunning display of having way too much time on his hands, a prominent senior lecturer in Mathematical Biology in Bath, England (who even knew there was something called Mathematical Biology?) was asked by BBC Radio 4 to calculate the total volume of all the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the world at the moment. He wrote a long explanation that you can find HERE. After lots of calculations resulting in an estimated 2 quintillion (2 x 10 to the 18th power) particles, and after considering close sphere packing criteria and the extra volume taken up by the spike protein sticking out, all the virus in the world wouldn’t even fill up a Coke can. Imagine that, all this chaos and torment for something that will easily fit into a Coke can with room to spare. Wow! Take care of yourself and get yourself vaccinated, if your eligible, so we can get through this together. Dr. Stu Weiss

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COVID-19 HEADLINES FOR TODAY

Coronavirus update for February 10, 2021 World Wide Updates China seizes on lack of WHO breakthrough in Wuhan to claim coronavirus vindication Germany’s partial lockdown extended until March, but states will decide on school openings themselves  PAHO sees “improving trends” in a pandemic in the Americas Boris Johnson welcomes WHO support for Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and UK’s dosing regimen WHO and UNICEF call out inequitable global distribution of Covid-19 vaccines Norway extends border closures to the end of February EU drug regulator says it has not received an application for Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine Denmark registers over 1,600 case numbers of UK coronavirus variant Spain’s patients recovering from Covid-19 must wait six months for vaccine, health ministry says WHO recommends AstraZeneca vaccine for adults over 18 and in countries where new variants are circulating Bahrain becomes latest country to approve Russian vaccine Japan to discard 1 in 6 doses of Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine because of its lack of specialist syringes UK PM faces criticism from opposition over new Covid-19 border policy Another UEFA Champions League team has moved locations due to Covid-19 travel bans Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, get first vaccine dose BioNTech ramps up vaccine production at another production plant in Germany Heineken to cut 8,000 jobs as pandemic hits sales Tired and battered Portuguese paramedics fight Covid-19 in one of Europe’s worst hotspots Ghana shuts down parliament for three weeks because of Covid-19 outbreak WHO recommends use of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine as two-dose shot, 8 to 12 weeks apart Europe is “not where we want to be” on vaccines, says EU chief It’s not clear if British tourists will be able to travel this year, UK minister says South Korea grants conditional approval for AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine UK coronavirus variant has been reported in 86 countries, WHO says WHO expert from Wuhan mission warns against relying “too much on US intel” around Covid-19 Covid-19 cases declined 17% worldwide last week, WHO says Israel plans to open up some leisure facilities to those documented as being immune to Covid Asian share index hits all-time high Estonia to test ‘vaccine passports’ Total Cases Worldwide: 107,782,010 Total Deaths Worldwide: 2,361,753 Total Recovered: 79,835,675 US Updates Double masking can block over 92% of potentially infectious particles from escaping, CDC study says New York arenas and stadiums can open this month with capacity limits and negative tests for spectators, Cuomo says White House announces new mass vaccination centers in Texas Fully vaccinated people can skip Covid quarantines, CDC says Only eight US states have genetically sequenced more than 1% of their total coronavirus cases during the pandemic 71% of Americans are now willing to get Covid-19 vaccines, Gallup poll finds Dallas-Ft. Worth area drive-thru Covid-19 vaccines cancelled Thursday amid potentially icy conditions Illinois health official, Dr. Rachel Rubin, lost both her parents within two weeks to Covid-19 Walmart will begin Covid-19 vaccinations as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program Salesforce plans to allow remote work permanently after the pandemic White House not recommending double masking at this time, considering a “range of options” to get masks to Americans About 20,000 pregnant women have received Covid-19 vaccines so far, ‘with no red flags,’ Fauci says US government says it is “supportive” of WHO’s Wuhan findings but will rely on “our own intelligence community to evaluate the report” About 1 in 10 Americans have gotten at least their first Covid-19 shot. But supply challenges remain US reports more than 92,000 new Covid-19 cases FDA authorizes new Eli Lilly monoclonal antibody duo Johnson & Johnson CEO says he thinks people will need an annual Covid-19 vaccine for many years to come Songwriters Hall of Fame induction postponed to 2022 MTA chief admits he can’t figure out how to clean subway without overnight closure Mardi Gras 2020 linked to nearly 50,000 COVID cases in Nola and likely from single source, study says A third of Americans say they definitely or probably won’t get the coronavirus vaccine, poll finds New Mexico will end mandatory quarantine for travelers from high-risk states Total US cases: 27,879,445 Total US deaths: 482,447Total Recovered: 17,776,750 Total Tested in US: 323,442,507 Total cases in CA: 3,432,137 Total deaths in CA: 45,170 Total cases in TX: 2,531,051 Total deaths in TX: 40,360 Total cases in FL: 1,798,280 Total deaths in FL: 28,208 Total cases in NY: 1,540,129 Total deaths in NY: 45,450 Total cases in IL: 1,152,995 Total deaths in IL: 21,869 Total Vaccines Administered in US: 44,769,970

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