COVID19: SARS-CoV-2 Transmission and Masks

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We are going to try to bring you near-daily updates on COVID-19. There is a firehose of information and most of us are too busy to read and digest it all. Note: If you are listening to these more than a few days in the future, please beware that information may have changed and check subsequent episodes.

Check out Brief19.com for the latest research and policy updates regarding COVID-19. If you’re looking for details on COVID-19, REBELEM and IBCC are excellent, comprehensive resources.

Van doremalen N, Bushmaker T, Morris DH, et al. Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1. N Engl J Med. 2020; 
Goldberg LJ et al. The use of a rotating drum for the study of aerosols over extended periods of time.Am J Hyg. 1958 Jul;68(1):85-93.PMID: 13559215

Hospitals and healthcare agencies across the United States are struggling to obtain adequate personal protective equipment (PPE). As a result, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created contingency plans for PPE depending on its availability. Recent updates include “crisis” plans which recommend use of bandanas, scarves, or homemade masks (because something is better than nothing). This isn’t uncharted literature territory…

Macintyre CR, Seale H, Dung TC, et al. A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers. BMJ Open. 2015;5(4):e006577.

Mills D et al. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation of influenza-contaminated N95 filtering facepiece respirators. Am J Infect Control. 2018;46(7):e49-e55.

Lindsley WG et al. Effects of Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) on N95 Respirator Filtration Performance and Structural Integrity. J Occup Environ Hyg. 2015;12(8):509-17