Friday, 19 February 2021 - 15:32
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Why do we all wear the mask on the street except who is smoking?
Perhaps the most persistent tactic of denial is to cast doubt on masks, despite the fact that they have already saved millions of lives around the world.
The changing recommendations at the beginning of the pandemic, which were adapted to the available knowledge, and a certain ambiguity in their use feed those who seek to spread confusion.
An image that is already typical in our streets, and that trivializes this important prevention measure, is that of several people taking a walk, all with the mask on except the one who is smoking.
It is allowed, but at a minimum of two meters away.
Many sidewalks are not that wide.
As Julián Domínguez warns from the Spanish Society of Preventive Medicine, Public Health and Hygiene (Sempsph), «it can be dangerous if whoever is smoking is infectious and,
the moment it produces the smoke cloud, someone else
breathes it in. "
It is not a common route of contagion, "it is very difficult," he concedes.
"But if the safety distance is not maintained, it is possible."
Why do we only talk about airborne transmission and forget about contagion from surfaces?
According to
The Lancet
, Germany's first Covid outbreak occurred in January 2020 through, among other contacts, a shared salt shaker in a company cafeteria.
SARS-CoV-2 is usually transmitted by droplets that the infected person expels when talking, singing, coughing, sneezing ... In addition, the smaller droplets can remain suspended in the form of aerosols.
Another route, considered less frequent and which is hardly talked about, would be the so-called fomites, that is, surfaces that have been contaminated by these same droplets.
For example, the table we share and the objects on it.
"Of course it is possible," warns Domínguez, who insists on the importance of hand washing to minimize risks.
"
The respiratory issue has been studied very well because it is something that is perhaps scarier, it is something that you do not perceive, do not feel, do not touch ...
", he explains.
But surfaces "remain a form of transmission.
We must not lower our guard".
Why do we believe that with ours there is no danger?
The terrible third wave that we continue to suffer began to rise in December and was completely out of control at Christmas.
Researcher Israel Rodríguez-Giralt, from the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), recalls the risk associated with
the «familiarity fallacy», a bias that we all have
, consciously or unconsciously, and that makes us feel safer with people from our intimate surroundings.
"There the measures work differently", warns this expert.
"Another context is created, in which the same rules that we have for other areas are relaxed."
Preventing the contagions that can occur when we lower our defenses and trust ourselves excessively in front of family or friends requires, above all, admitting that we are all vulnerable to this social dynamic: «We go to a bar terrace and, after an hour of being in front of a series of people, the interpersonal distance has changed.
That kind of sociology is completely absent when it comes to explaining why we get infected, and it is very important.
Why do we insist so much that schools are not contagious?
Although there is consensus that the risk of contagion is lower in education than in many others, schools are not free to experience outbreaks, especially in a scenario of high community transmission, such as the one we suffer from.
"It does not stop repeating as a mantra that schools are safe, when, in fact, it is not evaluated, nor do we have evidence that it is so," says Anna Llupià, epidemiologist at the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona.
We should consider which important activities we want to maintain and take the necessary steps to achieve it, this expert proposes, instead of assuming that they are already safe in advance.
"We are asked that we have to show that they are not, it is like reverse science," he says.
"
Since we want to keep them open, we are going to say one thing and you have to show me that this is not the case
."
In reality, despite the efforts of teachers and students, hundreds of thousands of children have already been confined: «What happens to them?
What accompaniment do they have during that time?
Who takes care of them?
Why do we arrive with a mask and take it off when sitting with others?
"The acceptance of the measures, with exceptions, has been good", values Josep Jansà from the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC).
But he clarifies: "Some messages have not been understood or have been misinterpreted."
A clear example: «We have witnessed a contradictory use of masks: you wear them walking alone down the street and you take them off when you enter a bar with five people, even if you are not consuming.
Where the risk is greatest, caution is less
. '
Once certain contradictory behaviors have been normalized, the weirdo becomes the one who insists on keeping the mask and taking extreme precautions in certain settings, even though science is on their side and the health system remains on the brink of collapse.
In the end, experts recall, the less individual rules are adhered to, the more likely it is that further restrictions will need to be imposed.
"This type of contradiction comes at a time when there is no other remedy than to counteract them with stronger measures."
Why do we respect hygiene when picking fruits but not cans or containers?
In the laboratory, SARS-CoV-2 remains active for days on various materials, such as plastic or metal.
In real life, "transmission by touching surfaces is not thought to be common," says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“It is possible that a person can catch Covid -19 by touching a surface or object,
including food or packaged foods that have the virus on them
and then touching their mouth, nose or possibly eyes.
However, this is not believed to be the main route by which the virus spreads.
The CDC does not advise gloves to make the purchase (aside from fresh produce): "They will not necessarily protect you," they warn.
But they insist on strict hand hygiene "after shopping, when handling food packages, or before preparing or eating food."
Domínguez celebrates, for this reason, that we have become accustomed to the hydroalcoholic gel, and advises to always use it after touching objects "of common and frequent use".
In fact, cases of contagion by the button of an elevator have been described.
Why do we split up at work and crowd the subway?
In the prevention of the epidemic, as in life, there are many things that do not depend on oneself.
"In public health and health promotion, the individual plays a role, of course, but society also plays a very strong role in protection, in facilitating healthy behaviors, and in facilitating less exposure to risk." , explains Llupià.
“If a person has to go to work by public transport and finds it totally tight, either teleworking could be made easier and it is not made easier, or the children go to school and the student ratios remain the same as before of the pandemic ... there
are no elements that facilitate health
».
The CDC advises avoiding rush hour and, if possible, not touching machines, screens, winches or railings.
Why do we think that being outdoors protects us from any risk?
The immense danger that indoor spaces entail, as we have seen this winter, does not prevent outdoor transmission from being also possible, especially when we do not respect measures such as physical distance and the use of masks.
The bottles of last summer were a clear case of risk, but, have we been unconcerned about other outdoor situations?
«It's like on the terraces: 'I'm on the terrace, I'm protected'.
Not necessarily.
If on the terrace there are tremendous aerosols that are produced by tobacco smoke or whatever, or it is a terrace that has vertical walls that are next to you and that close the air outlet, it is as if we were in a closed place .
And, even if it is open, we have to keep our distance
”, explains Domínguez.
"In the end, we always end up at the same point: distance, hand hygiene and a mask, of course," he emphasizes.
"All these measures right now are the lesser evil."
Why do we think that going to play sports exempts some rules?
As with smokers, a contradictory image, but very common in cities, is that everyone walks on the sidewalk wearing a mask except, precisely, who is running, who is the one who exhales the most air.
"If you don't keep a safe distance, and you have a higher expiratory volume, because you are exercising, there may be a risk," explains Domínguez.
"It is difficult (to spread this way), we are talking about very exceptional circumstances", he clarifies, although he adds: "It is evident that they do not comply with the norm of physical distance and use of the mask, which
is mandatory as long as we are close to someone
."
In fact, the rule protects everyone: "Whoever exercises is taking a much higher inspiration."
In other words, you are also more at risk.
Manuel Franco, spokesman for the Spanish Society of Public Health and Health Administration (Sespas), stresses the need to provide spaces in cities to exercise.
Why don't we keep our distance even if we wear a mask?
Masks are necessary, but they don't protect from everything.
If they are not used well or are in poor condition, their effectiveness is minimal.
There are situations in which we tend to get together even if there is room to spare.
“We must
keep our distance at any time, whether with or without a mask
.
That absolutely avoids contagion.
If we add hand hygiene to it, we minimize the risk and transmission is almost impossible ”, reasons Dr. Domínguez.
"The message that, if we do not keep our distance, we do not stop transmitting, has not penetrated", he analyzes, before underlining the discrepancies that often occur between what is allowed to do and what science advises: "One thing is the recommendation and another, the regulations.
That has not been transmitted, "he says.
"People say: 'Well, if this is legal' ...".
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