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Researchers propose that humidity from masks may lessen severity of Covid-19

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Re: Researchers propose that humidity from masks may lessen severity of Covid-19

#11

Post by SubiculumCode »

nmstoker wrote: post #7

I wonder if they're any similar effect at play worth those who sleep/breathe with their mouth open vs closed. Would need proper testing but the "arm chair" thinking here is two fold: 1. the nasal passage is specifically intended to help inhaled air warm and be mildly humidified 2. A tendency to sleep with your mouth open is more common in those who are overweight and they've often been observed to be hit worse by Cov…

To add to your thinking: COVID infection is usually most dominant in the nasal passages. The lungs are less vulnerable to infection, but may get infected via the upper respiratory system via aspiration. This is a really interesting read:

https://sph.unc.edu/sph-news/researchers-map-how-coronavirus...

Re: Researchers propose that humidity from masks may lessen severity of Covid-19

#12

Post by xxpor »

Jabbles wrote: post #3

What about humidity of the environment? Is that a reason behind the success of countries like Thailand, Vietnam in tackling Covid? Possibly relevant study: https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-virology-0...

Places like the US have wildly varying levels of humidity, seems like a good place to study that

Re: Researchers propose that humidity from masks may lessen severity of Covid-19

#13

Post by doliveira »

Jabbles wrote: post #3

What about humidity of the environment? Is that a reason behind the success of countries like Thailand, Vietnam in tackling Covid? Possibly relevant study: https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-virology-0...

Yeah Brazil and specifically Manaus in the middle of the Amazon rainforest is doing a great job.

Re: Researchers propose that humidity from masks may lessen severity of Covid-19

#14

Post by doliveira »

luxuryballs wrote: post #5

I propose that when handled by the average citizen they also increase the risk of bacterial pneumonia as you filter your warm moist breath through a bacteria catcher/cultivator.

Is that the new "theory"? Have you guys dropped the whole "O2 and CO2 levels" thing already?

Re: Researchers propose that humidity from masks may lessen severity of Covid-19

#15

Post by weberer »

Jabbles wrote: post #3

What about humidity of the environment? Is that a reason behind the success of countries like Thailand, Vietnam in tackling Covid? Possibly relevant study: https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-virology-0...

It seems that way. Here's another analysis of studies that focused on indoor humidity.

>"If the relative humidity of indoor air is below 40 percent, the particles emitted by infected people absorb less water, remain lighter, fly further through the room and are more likely to be inhaled by healthy people. In addition, dry air also makes the mucous membranes in our noses dry and more permeable to viruses," summarizes Dr. Ajit Ahlawat.

https://www.tropos.de/en/current-issues/press-releases/detai...

Actual paper:

https://aaqr.org/articles/aaqr-20-06-covid-0302

Re: Researchers propose that humidity from masks may lessen severity of Covid-19

#16

Post by bpodgursky »

xxpor wrote: post #12
Jabbles wrote: post #3

What about humidity of the environment? Is that a reason behind the success of countries like Thailand, Vietnam in tackling Covid? Possibly relevant study: https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-virology-0...

Places like the US have wildly varying levels of humidity, seems like a good place to study that

You'd have to separate out the effect of AC though. In the hottest and wettest parts of the country, people may actually live more of their lives in cold and dry air-conditioned environments than in the north...

Re: Researchers propose that humidity from masks may lessen severity of Covid-19

#17

Post by switch007 »

ndnfjttkrk wrote: post #2

One unexpected discovery for me was that wearing a tight FFP3 mask is quite pleasant during cold winter weather. It's very effective at warming up the air, probably because it mixes it with the one in the dead space.

And even that benefit isn't enough for many people to wear masks unless absolutely required (e.g. inside shops). It's been unusually cold the past few weeks in the UK and I've seen less and less mask usage on busy streets and even shop queues.

Re: Researchers propose that humidity from masks may lessen severity of Covid-19

#18

Post by scythe »

doliveira wrote: post #13
Jabbles wrote: post #3

What about humidity of the environment? Is that a reason behind the success of countries like Thailand, Vietnam in tackling Covid? Possibly relevant study: https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-virology-0...

Yeah Brazil and specifically Manaus in the middle of the Amazon rainforest is doing a great job.

Considering that Brazilian scientists described the government's strategy as an "institutional strategy to spread the coronavirus"[1] and they're reporting a lower death rate than France[2], you have to figure something in Brazil is working in humanity's favor. It can't make up for (probably) the worst policies in the world, of course.

[1]: https://english.elpais.com/americas/2021-01-29/study-finds-t...

[2]: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

Re: Researchers propose that humidity from masks may lessen severity of Covid-19

#19

Post by MengerSponge »

I don't work in the biological sciences, but my money's on the variolation argument more than the humidity behind your mask. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2026913

Here's why:

Humidity affects the dessication of droplets, which in turn shifts what fraction become airborne (as aerosols) or settle out (as droplets). In the tiny enclosed volume between your face and your mask, that difference doesn't matter, because the whole volume is exchanged multiple times with each breath.

Masks reduce the number of viruses that you're exposed to, so even if you are exposed to enough to make you sick, you get less sick than you would have otherwise.

Re: Researchers propose that humidity from masks may lessen severity of Covid-19

#20

Post by CorrectHorseBat »

scythe wrote: post #18
doliveira wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah Brazil and specifically Manaus in the middle of the Amazon rainforest is doing a great job.

Considering that Brazilian scientists described the government's strategy as an "institutional strategy to spread the coronavirus"[1] and they're reporting a lower death rate than France[2], you have to figure something in Brazil is working in humanity's favor. It can't make up for (probably) the worst policies in the world, of course. [1]: https://english.elpais.com/americas/2021-01-29/study-finds-t... [2]: https://…

I don't think you can conclude anything from those numbers. On the one hand Brazil is very likely underreporting and has a much younger population, but on the other hand their medical care is not as good.
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