(Bloomberg) — The discovery of coronavirus in the bathroom of an unoccupied apartment in Guangzhou, China, suggests the airborne pathogen may have wafted upwards through drain pipes, an echo of a large SARS outbreak in Hong Kong 17 years ago. Traces of SARS-CoV-2 were detected in February on the sink, faucet and shower handle of a long-vacant apartment, researchers at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said in a study published this month in Environment International. The contaminated bathroom was directly above the home of five people confirmed a week earlier to have Covid-19. The scientists conducted “an on-site tracer simulation experiment” to see whether the virus could be spread through waste pipes via tiny airborne particles that can be created by the force of a toilet flush. They found such particles, called aerosols, in bathrooms 10 and 12 levels above the Covid-19 cases. Two cases were confirmed on each of those floors in early February, raising concern that SARS-CoV-2-laden particles from stool had drifted into their homes via plumbing. The new report is reminiscent of a case at Hong Kong’s Amoy Gardens private housing estate almost two decades ago, when 329 residents caught severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, in part because of faulty sewage pipelines. Forty-two residents died, making it the most devastating community outbreak of SARS, which is also caused by a coronavirus. “Although transmission via the shared elevator cannot be excluded, this event is consistent with the findings of the Amoy Gardens SARS outbreak in Hong Kong in 2003,” Song Tang, a scientist with the China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, and colleagues wrote in the study, which cited unpublished data from China CDC. Apartments in multistory buildings may be linked via a shared wastewater system, said Lidia Morawska, director of the International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health at Australia’s Queensland University of Technology. While solids and liquids descend the network, sewer gases — often detectable by their odor — sometimes rise through pipes, said Morawska, who wasn’t part of the research team. “If there’s smell, it means that somehow air has been transported to where it shouldn’t go,” Morawska said in an interview SARS-CoV-2 spreads mainly through respiratory droplets — spatters of saliva or discharge from the nose, according to the World Health Organization. Since the first weeks of the pandemic, however, scientists in China have said infectious SARS-CoV-2 virus in the stool of Covid-19 patients may also play a role in transmission. A February study of 73 patients hospitalized with the coronavirus in Guangdong province found more than half tested positive for the virus in their stool. Previous research has shown that toilet flushes can generate germ-laden aerosols from the excreta, the China CDC scientists said. Those particles can remain in the air for long periods and be dispersed over distances of more than 1 meter (3 feet), particularly in confined, poorly ventilated spaces. Fecal aerosolization occurred with SARS, and it’s possible that it may rarely occur with SARS-CoV-2, depending on sewage systems, said Malik Peiris, chair of virology at the University of Hong Kong’s School of Public Health. The China CDC study found traces of virus, “which is not the same thing as infectious virus,” he said. “But one has to keep the possibility in mind.” In the Amoy Gardens case, warm, moist air from the bathroom of a SARS patient excreting “extremely high concentrations” of virus in feces and urine established a plume in an air shaft that spread the airborne virus to other apartments, research showed. Although toilets are a daily necessity, they “may promote fecal-derived aerosol transmission if used improperly, particularly in hospitals,” the China CDC researchers said. They cited a fluid-dynamics simulation that showed a “massive upward transport of virus aerosol particles” during flushing, leading to large-scale virus spread indoors. “The study finds high plausibility for airborne transmission and outlines the evidence in great detail,” said Raina MacIntyre, professor of global biosecurity at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, who was part of an international team invited to collaborate with China CDC on the study. Previous investigations confirmed that SARS-CoV-2 genetic material was found on toilets used by Covid-19 patients, in the air in hospital nurses’ stations, on air outlet vents, and multiple other sites. The extent to which fecal aerosol plumes are infecting people with the SARS-CoV-2 virus isn’t known, said Queensland’s Morawska. “There are lots of situations where things happen and are pretty unusual,” said Morawska, who was part of a team that investigated the Amoy Gardens contagion. Scientists should investigate the “unusual situations” because, by understanding them, they may find “they’re not that unusual.”

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials have sparked a wave of confusion after posting guidelines that coronavirus testing is not necessary for people who have been in close contact with infected people.

The new guidance was posted earlier this week on the website of a federal agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC previously had advised local health departments to test people who have been within 6 feet of an infected person for more than 15 minutes. But on Monday a CDC testing overview page was changed to say that testing is no longer recommended for symptom-less people who were in close contact situations. There was a caveat, however. Testing may be recommended for those with health problems that make them more likely to suffer severe illness from an infection, or if their doctor or local state officials advise they get tested. CDC officials referred all questions to the agency’s parent organization, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C. That suggests that HHS ordered the change, not CDC, said Jennifer Nuzzo, a Johns Hopkins University public health researcher. Across the country, public health experts called the change bizarre. They noted that testing contacts of infected people is a core element of public health efforts to keep outbreaks in check, and that a large percentage of infected people — the CDC has said as many as 40% — exhibit no symptoms.

President Trump’s top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, declared during his Republican National Convention speech that Trump “successfully fought” the coronavirus pandemic, which is still very much raging in the United States. His use of the past tense was quickly picked up by several journalists, including David Corn of Mother Jones, who tweeted that Kudlow spoke “as if this crisis is over. Thousands are dying every week. This is crazy propaganda.” Tim O’Brien, a Bloomberg Opinion writer, pointed out that Kudlow has been beating this drum for awhile now, saying on March 9 that the coronavirus was “relatively contained.” In late June, right before a major surge in cases, Kudlow declared there was “no second wave coming. It’s just hot spots. They send in CDC teams, we’ve got the testing procedures, we’ve got the diagnostics.” On Thursday, the US coronavirus infections were 5,668,245 and death toll climbed to more than 178,000.

Infection Rates And Vaccines Have Everything To Do With Our Health And Our Wealth

Prepare for the onslaught of a blizzard of bullshit. It’s an election year and it’s my job to keep the snow out of your eyes. Knowledge is power, knowledge is wealth and knowledge is health. I made a vow to God to give you the knowledge to keep your wealth, increase your wealth, to preserve your health and to keep your life. You’ve got to work with me here though because neither one of us wants to piss off God.

Headline Article September 2020 issue

235 scientists reveal Airborne Transmission of COVID-19

We appeal to the medical community and to the relevant national and international bodies to recognize the potential for airborne spread of COVID-19. There is significant potential for inhalation exposure to viruses in microscopic respiratory droplets (microdroplets) at short to medium distances (up to several meters, or room scale), and we are advocating for the use of preventive measures to mitigate this route of airborne transmission.Studies by the signatories and other scientists have demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt that viruses are released during exhalation, talking, and coughing in microdroplets small enough to remain aloft in air and pose a risk of exposure at distances beyond 1 to 2 m from an infected individual (see e.g. [1-4]). For example, at typical indoor air velocities [5], a 5 μm droplet will travel tens of meters, much greater than the scale of a typical room, while settling from a height of 1.5 m to the floor. Several retrospective studies conducted after the SARS-CoV-1 epidemic demonstrated that airborne transmission was the most likely mechanism explaining the spatial pattern of infections e.g. [6]. Retrospective analysis has shown the same for SARS-CoV-2 [7-10]. Inparticular, a studyin their review of records from a Chinese restaurant, observed no evidence of direct or indirect contact between the three parties [10]. In their review of video records from the restaurant, they observed no evidence of direct or indirect contact between the three parties. Many studies conducted on the spread of other viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) [11], Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) [8], and influenza [2,4], show that viableairborne viruses can be exhaled [2] and/or detected in the indoor environment of infected patients [11-12]. This poses the risk that people sharing such environments can potentially inhale these viruses, resulting in infection and disease. There is every reason to expect that SARS-CoV-2 behaves similarly, and that transmission via airborne microdroplets [10,13]is an important pathway. Viral RNA associated with droplets smaller than 5 μm has been detected in air [14], and the virus has shown to maintain infectivityin droplets of this size [9]. Other viruses have been shown to survive equally well, if not better, in aerosols compared to droplets on a surface [15].The current guidance from numerous international and national bodies focuses on hand washing, maintaining social distancing, and droplet precautions. Most public health organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO) [16], do not recognize airborne transmission except for aerosol-generating procedures performed in healthcare settings. Hand washing and social distancing are appropriate, but in our view, insufficient to provide protection from virus-carrying respiratory microdroplets released into the air by infected people. This problem is especially acute in indoor or enclosed environments, particularly those that are crowded and have inadequate ventilation [17] relative to the number of occupants and extended exposure periods (as graphically depicted in Figure 1). For example, airborne transmission appears to be the only plausible explanation for several superspreading events investigated which occurred under such conditions e.g. [10], and others where recommended precautions related to direct droplet transmissions were followed. The evidence is admittedly incomplete for all the steps in COVID-19 microdroplet transmission, but it is similarly incomplete for the large droplet and fomite modes of transmission. The airborne transmission mechanism operates in parallel with the large droplet and fomite routes, e.g. [16] that are now the basis of guidance. Following the precautionary principle, we must address every potentially important pathway to slow the spread of COVID-19. The measures that should be taken to mitigate airborne transmission risk include:Provide sufficient and effective ventilation (supply clean outdoor air, minimize recirculating air) particularly in public buildings, workplace environments, schools, hospitals, and aged care homes.Supplement general ventilation with airborne infection controls such as local exhaust, high efficiency air filtration, and germicidal ultraviolet lights.Avoid overcrowding, particularly in public transport and public buildings. Such measures are practical and often can be easily implemented;many are not costly. For example, simple steps such as opening both doors and windows can dramatically increase air flow rates in many buildings. For mechanical systems, organizations such as ASHRAE (the American Society of Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers) and REHVA (the Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Associations) have already provided guidelines based on the existing evidence of airborne transmission. The measures we propose offer more benefits than potential downsides, even if they can only be partially implemented.Figure 1. Distribution of respiratory microdroplets in an indoor environment with (a) inadequate ventilation and (b) adequate ventilation.It is understood that there is not as yet universal acceptance of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV2; but in our collective assessment there is more than enough supporting evidence so that the precautionary principle should apply. In order to control the pandemic, pending the availability of a vaccine, all routes of transmission must be interrupted.We are concerned that the lack of recognition of the risk of airborne transmission of COVID-19 and the lack of clear recommendations on the control measures against the airborne virus will have significant consequences: people may think that they are fully protected by adhering to the current recommendations, but in fact, additional airborne interventions are needed for further reduction of infection risk.This matter is of heightened significance now, when countries are re-opening following lockdowns -bringing people back to workplaces and students back to schools, colleges, and universities. We hope that our statement will raise awareness that airborne transmission of COVID-19 is a real risk and that control measures, as outlined above, must be added to the other precautions taken, to reduce the severity of the pandemic and save lives

 

The following scientists contributed to formulating this commentary:

Continue reading “It is Time to Admit the truth: Airborne Transmission of COVID-19 is REAL!”

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has released a video of the distance that a sneeze travels — thus, the impact of an individual with the coronavirus can have on those around them.

This close-up view of a sneeze filmed at 2000 frames per second (duration 0.25 sec) shows it’s a hot, moist, turbulent gas cloud containing air and mucosalivary droplets that travel as far as 26 feet (7-8 meters) . Current social distancing recommendations for the COVID19 pandemic specify 6 feet of separation. The physics of sneezes and coughs have implications for respiratory pathogen transmission and mask and respirator design. Click https://ja.ma/2vQCnE2 for complete details.

Doctors have warned a coronavirus vaccine may create dangerous side-effects and argued against a ‘no jab, no play’ policy. Vaccine development is typically a long and complex process that can take up to 15 years. Because of the urgency of the coronavirus pandemic, researchers are fast-tracking their testing, hoping to produce a safe and effective innoculation by next year. Australian Medical Association president Omar Korshid said even positive phase three trials would not prove the vaccine candidate is safe. ‘We have to acknowledge it is a rushed approval process and even if the phase three trials on this Oxford vaccine go really well, it’s still not absolutely proven that it is safe, not as proven as is normally the case,’ he told The Age newspaper.

‘That does increase the risk that there might be rare side effects … that we just don’t know about.’

Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has been involved in fast-tracking the testing of the Oxford University candidate vaccine. In May, the CSIRO said it was already at the stage of pre-clinical trials – a position that typically takes up to two years to reach. In ordinary times, a vaccine must pass through the pre-clinical stage, animal testing, then two phases of human trials to study the safety, immunogenicity, proposed doses and method of delivery. If the vaccine passes these hurdles it moves to larger Phase III trials typically involving tens of thousands of people to catch any rare side-effects. Only then is it submitted for approval. The Oxford University AstraZeneca vaccine candidate is already undergoing phase three trials. To reach a vaccine within 15 months would be record time as the average vaccine takes 10 years to develop, according to The Lancet medical journal. Once a safe and effective vaccine is produced, herd immunity can be achieved by vaccinating the population, and life can return to normal. Australia’s chief nursing and midwifery officer Professor Alison McMillan said on Sunday that any vaccine approved in Australia would be subject to strong regulation to make sure it is safe Herd immunity means enough people have antibodies to the virus so it cannot spread. Dr Korshid said Australia’s peak doctors’ association is very supportive of vaccines generally as they have normally been through rigorous and extensive scientific testing. That cannot be said of the coronavirus vaccine candidates, however, of which more than 100 are in development around the world as scientists, governments and other organisations race to find a vaccine. A vaccine candidate usually has 10 years of testing through a pre-clinical stage, animal testing, two phases of human trials to study the safety, effectiveness and proposed doses before the final phase three trials involving tens of thousands of volunteers (stock picture) In August, Russian President Vladimir Putin sensationally declared that Russia had granted regulatory approval to a vaccine candidate named ‘Sputnik V’ after less than two months of human testing, without even finishing its final trials. Only about 10 per cent of clinical trials are successful and scientists fear Moscow has put national prestige before safety.

You can track how close the pandemic is getting to you. Click here. (This map will open in a new window)