What the latest studies say Relationships If it is not necessary, it is imperative to stay at home so as not to spread the virus (1). Avoid crowded, humid and cold places (2), in any case with absol ...

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What the latest studies say

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If it is not necessary, it is imperative to stay at home so as not to spread the virus (1). Avoid crowded, humid and cold places (2), in any case with absolute humidity values around 10 g/m (3) and, for maximum safety, rooms with air conditioning (4) where the flow can push the virus beyond 2 meters, a distance considered quite safe to avoid the entry of the virus into our respiratory system.

Droplets remain the major source of infection.

The incubation period can last for 16 days (5) although, normally, mostly 3 to 7 days (6).

The use of an FFP2 (N95) or FFP3 (N99) mask only protects the nose and mouth from virus entry, but not the remaining part of the body.  The droplets move like invisible fog and thus arrive compactly over the entire face and body and can find their way in, not only through the nose and mouth, which may be covered by the mask, but also through the eyes. Therefore, the use of the mask only works when combined with specifically protective glasses. Other routes of entry of the virus are possible epidermal lesions and the outer ear (7).

The mask is instead useful for those who are infected, in order not to disperse the droplets in the environment.  In this study, the filtering tests of the various types of masks (8). In any case, considering  the "carelessness" of those who are unfortunately virus carriers and those who are healthy virus carriers, everyone should wear them. This is my opinion, after examining hundreds of studies on the subject.

So if you really need to get out:

• always keep more than 2 meters away from other people, don't touch your mouth, nose, eyes.
• wear mask and disposable gloves before leaving the house, wrap-around glasses, cotton balls with a little hydrogen peroxide in the ear cups.
• take off mask and disposable gloves when you get home
• glasses can protect your eyes. 
• wash your hands often with soap or alcohol for at least 20 seconds.

When you return home, disinfect with alcohol or equivalent anything that may have been in contact with droplets. and, by way of purely illustrative example:

Clothing

• glasses, buttons and zippers, handle and zippers of bags etc..

Cars

• key, handles, steering wheel, glove compartment, gear lever, etc.

Home and office

• anything you may have inadvertently touched without washing your hands first
• Handles, staircase handrails, keys, taps, sinks, toilets, cooking boards, etc.

Mobile phone

Handle and zippers of the bags

And again, open the windows and ventilate the rooms often (9) to avoid the stagnation of microbes.

If you buy online or from shops, disinfect all items you have bought with alcohol.

References_________________________________________________

(1) Wu YC, Chen CS, Chan YJ. The outbreak of COVID-19: An overview.   J Chin Med Assoc. 2020 Mar;83(3):217-220. doi: 10.1097/JCMA.0000000000000270.

(2) Sun Z, Thilakavathy K, Kumar SS, He G, Liu SV. Potential Factors Influencing Repeated SARS Outbreaks in China.   Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Mar 3;17(5). pii: E1633. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17051633.

(3) Ueshiba R, Ueshiba R, Abe K, Kingetsu M, Ito M. Suggestion to school pharmacists to utilize absolute humidity parameter for maintaining air-conditioning.    Yakugaku Zasshi. 2013;133(4):479-83. 

(4) Zhang TL, Lu J, Ying L, Zhu XL, Zhao LH, Zhou MY, Wang JL, Chen GC, Xu L. An acute gastroenteritis outbreak caused by GII.P16-GII.2 norovirus associated with airborne transmission via the air conditioning unit in a kindergarten in Lianyungang, China.    Int J Infect Dis. 2017 Dec;65:81-84. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2017.10.003.

(5) Lauer SA, Grantz KH, Bi Q, Jones FK, Zheng Q, Meredith HR, Azman AS, Reich NG, Lessler J. The Incubation Period of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) From Publicly Reported Confirmed Cases: Estimation and Application.    Ann Intern Med. 2020 Mar 10. doi: 10.7326/M20-0504.

(6) Kunling Shen, Yonghong Yang  Diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of 2019 novel coronavirus infection in children: experts’ consensus statement  Global Pediatric Pulmonology Alliance  World Journal of Pediatrics (2020)

(7) Yan Y, Chen H, Chen L, et al. Consensus of Chinese experts on protection of skin and mucous membrane barrier for healthcare workers fighting against coronavirus disease 2019 [published online ahead of print, 2020 Mar 13]. Dermatol Ther. 2020;e13310. doi:10.1111/dth.13310

(8) Mueller W, Horwell CJ, Apsley A, Steinle S, McPherson S, Cherrie JW, Galea KS.  The effectiveness of respiratory protection worn by communities to protect from volcanic ash inhalation. Part I: Filtration efficiency tests.   Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2018 Jul;221(6):967-976. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2018.03.012.

(9) Satheesan, M.K., Mui, K.W. & Wong, L.T. A numerical study of ventilation strategies for infection risk mitigation in general inpatient wards. Build. Simul. (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12273-020-0623-4

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