viral load theory says increasing the amount of virus you take in can make a disease (covid) more severe. the more you take in the sicker you’re likely to get.
we know for fact that surgical masks provide about an 11% benefit towards not spreading covid. mostly by trapping virus particles before they get out in the open air. cloth masks essentially do nothing, although they do get saturated with possibly covid infected spittle.
question… aren’t infected persons then rebreathing covid infected air in higher concentration than they would otherwise? shouldn’t that increase their own viral load in effect making their case more severe than it would otherwise?
this is a serious question. one that is not, though i believe should be being studied.
this has been on my mind for a while. another of the intuitions i’ve had on covid that prompts me to ask a question. so far, the answers to the questions i’ve asked have been affirming when studies finally come out. like them, i’m not aware of any study looking at this, but i hope one is happening
Apologies that I’m not technically an “expert” but I’ll try to answer you what I’ve learned from Virology- from the epidemology lab- to answer your question.
Viral load does count. However, one has to consider how a virus survives, what it takes for it to survive since it cannot regulate its metabolism or reproduce without a host.
Do you remember people telling you when you were young to cough into your elbow (not your hands) if you had a cold or the flu? The reason answers this same question. The reason is, viruses (and even other sp of pathogens) do not survive very well on the porous surfaces of fabrication. I guess it would be like trying to live your life on a seesaw or straddled over something. It doesn’t have the stability of the blood steam or a more solid surface. Plus, clothes can be washed with soap that have disinfectants, or in the case with white cloth, bleach.
Because masks are porous cloth, the virus will not necessarily survive there if an infected person coughs or sneezes. Of course, cloth masks have to be washed regularly and N95s have to be disposed of after each use, otherwise some of the infection could linger or you could get dirt and other allergens into your system if you wear it again.
Also, apologies that I don’t have any studies. But there is a reason why they are telling kids not to cough in open air or into their hands. And if they do, to wash their hands right away. There are commercials that do this, especially around flu season. Tulsa Health Department has the Don’t Bug Me! campaign/commercials that start around sept-oct. I
Luckily I have an endless supply lol, but have been wearing one less and less. I don’t go in busy stores, so that helps, and nobody down here seems to care anyhow.
A study published in found that at room temperature, COVID-19 was detectable on fabric for up to two days, compared to seven days for plastic and metal. However, when it was exposed to high heat, the virus became inactive within five minutes.
“If you’re concerned that your clothing may have been exposed to COVID-19, the best way to get rid of the virus is to wash any exposed clothing on heated cycles,” says John Sensakovic, M.D., division director of infectious disease at JFK Medical Center.
I doubt the viral mass will cling and release like a bacteria may in a mask.
The question I have is on vaccine one size fits all dose. Are obese large people adequately protected from a vaccine dose designed for a typical 150 lb person.
The dose was reduced for children so…??
Obese are at risk…are they getting enough vaccine?
This explains the physics of it. Because COVID is inside of respiratory droplets, it makes sense that fluid dynamics would come into play. That is what this study focuses on. Primary article, so it has more research-based findings rather than reviewing another article. Thought you might appreciate it “from the horse’s mouth.”
Capsules/slime layer of bacteria are sticky, so they can adhere to anything. Viruses on the other hand, need a certain type of receptor complimentary to their glycoproteins, spikes, or other extensions, and some with the help of other sugars/chemicals such as sialic acid (as with Influenza) to adhere and make its entry.
I don’t know how dosing works for a vaccine. I know with the flu, older people get a higher dose than younger people.
I don’t want to monopolize the thread so I am inviting @toreyj01 and @SottoVoce to participate as well (and anyone who has expertise in this area) to contribute- in case they don’t see the thread.
The reality is that it’s not desirable to wear masks for 8-10 hours a day and in many cases to re-wear those same masks daily. So minimal positive impact from reducing the spread of the virus and potentially negative impacts from wearing it all day, and even for many days.
Your viral load is determined by your cells, not what you are possibly rebreathing from your mask. The initial “insult” when you are exposed to the virus has a larger determination on the severity of your disease process, but not necessarily continued masking after you have fallen ill. In general though, if you have COVID and know it, you should absolutely wear a mask to protect others, there is no proof not wearing one will shorten the duration or severity of the disease.
Carbon Dioxide is a very small particle and does not get retained by a mask, you aren’t breathing in more CO2 by wearing one.
You can wear a mask for 8 hours a day without health impacts, folks in medicine have been doing it for years.
If someone has COPD, especially asthma, they should wear a mask unless they cannot tolerate it. Then they can try a shield, but that seems to have marginal benefit.
i know you’re aware of the theory that the more of the virus you take in, the more severe of a case you are likely to have. is what you’re saying that this only matters on initial exposure and continued exposure has no effect? seems counter intuitive. in the absence of positive affirmation i will defer to your knowledge however.
i said nothing about co2 and your statement according to studies with children is flat wrong. unless there are other studies contradicting that, i’m really not interested in the opinion of people with an agenda (not speaking of you, but of the ones you’re listening to.) you are free to trust their opinions, i’ll stick with scientific data and studies.
science is science. a surgical mask gives a slight benefit (11% less likely when worn properly), the cloth masks everybody is wearing do not.
That’s a good question. My question would be, to what extent can it be a problem? If you have Covid you’re probably home sick and not wearing a mask. If you’re asymptomatic, will it cause you to become symptomatic? If the latter doesn’t happen, I don’t really see it being a problem.
On the one hand you claim cloth masks do nothing, on the other you wonder if they are trapping the virus for you the re-breath…(am I characterizing the theory correctly?)…for that to be true the mask would have to be effective at not letting virus out into the wind.
Regarding #3, personally (and I know others as well) I get frequent headaches when wearing a mask (usually related to how tight it is). I can’t imagine getting frequent headaches is a good thing. Also, breathing is definitely more laborious while wearing it. Can one state unequivocally that there will be no potential health impacts later on in someone’s life regarding that?
Regarding #4, wearing a face shield, the only benefit I can think of is if someone very close to you sneezes or coughs and the droplets go onto the shield instead of one’s face.
