Thursday, December 31, 2020

Equal Time: Those Wipes Aren't Needed

 You wiped down your groceries with Clorox wipes.  You stood in line for an hour before Target opened just so you could get some wipes when every shelf was empty.  A spray-bottle became your new workout partner at the gym.  You went to all that trouble but guess what? It was all probably for nothing.  The Lancet said waaay back in July such precautions were useless in preventing the spread of Covid-19 but the article didn't attract the media's notice until this week.  The Lancet reported: 

A clinically significant risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission by fomites (inanimate surfaces or objects) has been assumed on the basis of studies that have little resemblance to real-life scenarios....

 In a study in which the authors tried to mimic actual conditions in which a surface might be contaminated by a patient, no viable SARS-CoV was detected on surfaces....

 For example, in the studies that used a sample of 107, 106, and 104 particles of infectious virus on a small surface area, these concentrations are a lot higher than those in droplets in real-life situations, with the amount of virus actually deposited on surfaces likely to be several orders of magnitude small Hence, a real-life situation is better represented in the work of Dowell and colleagues in which no viable virus was found on fomites. Rest of article.

Oops. NPR reported Monday: 

So people were advised to clean common areas with disinfectant, wipe down cans and boxes from the grocery store and even wear gloves.

In retrospect, Marr says that was "overkill." Today, she says, "all the evidence points toward breathing in the virus from the air as being the most important route of transmission."

Scientists now know that the early surface studies were done in pristine lab conditions using much larger amounts of virus than would be found in a real-life scenario.

Even so, many of us continue to attack door handles, packages and groceries with disinfectant wipes, and workers across the U.S. spend hours disinfecting surfaces in public areas like airports, buildings and subways.

There's no scientific data to justify this, says Dr. Kevin Fennelly, a respiratory infection specialist with the National Institutes of Health.

"When you see people doing spray disinfection of streets and sidewalks and walls and subways, I just don't know of any data that supports the fact that we're getting infected from viruses that are jumping up from the sidewalk."

Marr says focusing on cleaning surfaces is not the best way to slow infection.

"Instead of paying so much attention to cleaning surfaces, we might be better off paying attention to cleaning the air, given the finite amount of time and resources," Marr says.... Rest of article.

 Guess those ten canisters of Lysol wipes will remain on my shelf. ;-)


22 comments:

Anonymous said...

What about all the 'wash your hands', 'wash your damned hands' madness? Hell, I've been urinating, hands-free, for seven months! I don't even trust my own 'little man' although I know (pretty much) where he's been.

Anonymous said...

I suspected that all along.

This was a respiratory issue from the start.

Proctology complications were never in the mix.

But the panic buying did get my attention.

Never again will I take Charmin extra soft for granted.






Anonymous said...

surprise surprise. you get it from the air. a virus that attacks breathing is caught by breathing it in. what a revelation.

most countries have put covid-19 in the rear view mirror by everyone wearing a mask. once we made a mask a political statement, we were doomed to fail. which we have. completely.

yes its mostly nothing-but tell that to the 350,000 people who have passed away...and the millions who fought for their lives...

Anonymous said...

We have been lied to about this virus from the beginning.

They aren’t going to start telling the truth now.

Anonymous said...

This doesn't take into account of people wiping their nose with their hands, or coughing directly into their hands, and then touching counter tops, stocking grocery items, key pads, etc.

The concentration of viruses in these cases is quite high.

Masks...
No Masks...
Masks...

How many fucking times have there been flip, flop, flip, flop, including this article without footnotes, peer review, etc.

Anonymous said...

417 - please give us all a list of those countries that have put COVID in their rear view mirror - either because of mask mandates or whatever. Other than the isolated island countries, my reading tells me that there is a spike in damn near every country that has a population base.

You obviously have some inside iformation about these countries; please share it with us rather than just make your broad politically based statement. (And I'm not defending any political philosophy, just the reality that 'other countries' don't exist that are not experiencing a similar spike to ours.

Anonymous said...

most countries have put covid-19 in the rear view mirror by everyone wearing a mask.

Link?

Anonymous said...

We knew that, by MARCH, at the latest. How did people forget? The amount of time the virus remains viable and TRANSMISSIBLE, was known by anyone with working ears and a brain, even BEFORE March - February, maybe. The Mode of Transmission was certainly known by February.

Anonymous said...

Studies show this. Studies show that. Everyone seems to be an expert.

Anonymous said...

Osterholm proclaimed in March that non-N-95 masks provided no protection because transmission is via aerosol measured as a fraction of a micron. He was correct.

Anonymous said...

India - 1.4 billion people - 1 death per 9,362 people
South Korea - 51.3 million people - 1 death per 64,691 people
Kenya - 53.7 million people - 1 death per 324,471 people
Malaysia - 32.7 million people - 1 death per 72,505 people

Unites States - 331 million - 1 death per 1,000 people

(FWIW, none of these countries are islands, but the U.K. is, and they're not doing so great)

Anonymous said...

The virus spreads in many ways.

Washing hands was not a waste of time.

Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

The troll farmer here was of the opinion the virus wasn’t a thing, then it was a thing but it was chinas fault, it wasn’t airborne, now it’s always been airborne and wiping hands was useless and we are all dummies for wiping hands and food items.

The troll farmer here is intellectually bankrupt.

Anonymous said...

KF As you pointed out this was in July. It's the first day of a New Year and the virus has mutated to be more contagious. How is it more contagious? We don't know.

And, that's critical to all the politicizing. It was an UNKNOWN virus virus! For anyone to expect that all research to learn about a unknown virus would all be on target is ridiculous. But, initially,testing theories based on the behaviors of other viruses was all we had.

Now you want to hold all those trying to gain knowledge to help reduce the effects of the new virus up to ridicule. And, in doing that,overlook that all research has to be able to be duplicatable to have merit. Ruling in and ruling out variables is necessary to gain knowledge of which variables are determinant. For some of you, which things matter and which things don't.

We seem to have lost all common sense and any sense of public decency.

Were this many of us really never taught to cover their mouth when they coughed or nose when they sneezed? Weren't many of us taught how to or when to wash their hands either? Do some of you feel the freedom to pick your nose in public or rub your snot on your sleeve should be symbolic of your political freedom rather than proof you are crude and thoughtless ? You might as well be objecting to having to wear shoes or a shirt in a restaurant.

This is mass insanity!

As to the " only islands" can control this Yahoos. Fine, then just compare per capita cases in other countries and ask yourself why we have only done well in tamping down the death rate? That New Zealand had the virus and was able to stop it is proof it could have been stopped with a couple of months of economic and individual hardship instead of a whole damn year.

It's called realization " No man is an island". But, those of you " everybody dies sometime people, seem to think others are expendable and play no role in your well being.

Anonymous said...

Sorry 9:50am.....but others ARE expendable when they begin to encroach on another people's freedom. Never in history have completely healthy people been forced into quarantine. Never. If you don't want to die in a car accident, don't drive...ever. If you don't want to get sick or even die, don't go outside...ever. Every decision you make is not predicated on what other people may/may not do.....the risks you take are yours.....that's what a free society is based on.

Anonymous said...

Had I shit the bed as badly in my profession as scientists did in 2020....I would’ve been fired in May.

Fact!

Anonymous said...

Thank you, 9:50. I couldn't have said it better but have pretty much given up on trying to explain anything to science illiterates and covid-deniers. It's a waste of my time and energy which is better spent on keeping my family and myself covid-free, healthy, happy and involved with daily life.

Anonymous said...

7:44, incorrect. Here's what he's said, below. And, FYI, he's part of the new Biden Covid Task Force. And he wants us all to wear masks.

"At the outset, I want to make several points crystal clear:

I support the wearing of cloth face coverings (masks) by the general public.

Stop citing CIDRAP and me as grounds to not wear masks, whether mandated or not.

Don't, however, use the wearing of cloth face coverings as an excuse to decrease other crucial, likely more effective, protective steps, like physical distancing

Also, don't use poorly conducted studies to support a contention that wearing cloth face coverings will drive the pandemic into the ground.

But even if they reduce infection risk somewhat, wearing them can be important."

Anonymous said...

Maybe now she can investigate Pinnacle “Trust”...

Anonymous said...

Nov 9 2020
SARS-CoV-2 has far lower Case fatality rate (CFR) than Ebola, Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 1 (SARS-CoV-1).

COVID has therefore been reclassified away from a high consequence infectious disease.

SARS-CoV-2 causes mild or asymptomatic disease in most cases; severe to critical illness occurs in a small proportion of infected individuals, with the highest rate seen in people older than 70 years. Known CFR of SARS-CoV-2 differs between countries ranging from 1.5% in Australia to 9.3% in Italy.

https://www.ajicjournal.org/article/S0196-6553(20)30992-5/fulltext

Anonymous said...

Oh good grief!
You have not been LIED to since the beginning!

Scientists didn't KNOW anything about this NEW virus and early research wasn't constructed as perfectly as it might have been.

Really, people, part of knowledge is knowing how things work, including scientific research.

Didn't any of you take science? Was your teacher so bad that they didn't tell you how to tell good research from bad or that preliminary research is just that...preliminary ( a way to rule in or rule out variables) or to translate, first efforts to know what the important causes are or aren't by testing all causes.

Yes, early research used too much virus in testing because they didn't know who much was the right amount.


SIGH

Anonymous said...

Sighing, necroposting liar

Anonymous said...

Some of you seem not to understand that CV19 was a NEW virus. There are viruses that can be transmitted surface to hands and from hand to body.

Being overly cautious was rational until enough information was available.

And,for those of you who think other citizens " expendable" to your "freedoms", your " freedoms" do not include being physically comfortable, entertained,having what you want when you want it or causing physical harm to others or their property. You seem to totally avoid the moral and ethical principles which are the foundations of democracies and republics. You would cheerfully eliminate those who aren't just like you and don't believe as you believe...ISIS and every other group responsible for mass murders in history. I suspect your emotional development stopped when your temper tantrums at age 2 succeeded! That is usually the explanation for self-centered jerks.







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Trollfest '09

Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.


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Trollfest '07

Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

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