Photo: CDC
Dr. Rich Davis Shows Us What Happens Without Distance Or A Mask:
So one of the big problems you run into with public health is getting people to listen.
The CDC can get the word out, but many people are too stubborn or skeptical.
Whether it’s the problems in Northern Italy that Bianca pointed out, or the recent US hot-spots that were likely started on Memorial Day,
People just want to ignore any advice that interferes with their lives and just do things as they’ve always done.
But Dr. Davis came up with a very clever and simple demonstration on Twitter that may prove the old adage…
Re-Flattening The Recently Un-Flattened Curve:
So as we can see by the recent surges in coronavirus, not everyone is willing to follow the rules.
I bet you yourself have seen more than just a few people who refuse to wear masks, to cover both their nose & mouth,
Or even remember to stay 6 feet away from other people if they can.
But with all the Likes, Retweets, & Replies, Rich’s demonstration may have done a lot to convince people.
Maybe A Demonstration Can Get People To Follow The Rules:
So, first he set up some petri-dishes with growth medium in them that viruses & bacteria both like.
Then he did 5 demonstrations with a mask on, and the same 5 with the mask off.
1) Talking for 1 Minute at ~1 Foot
2) Singing for 1 Minute at ~1 Foot
3) 1 Sneeze at ~1 Foot
4) 2 Coughs at ~1 Foot
5) 15 seconds of Coughing at 2, 4, & 6 Feet
Photo: Rich Davis, PhD
Photo: Rich Davis, PhD
Nit-Pick All You Want, But You Can’t Disagree With A Photo:
And that’s where Rich’s magic pictures come in.
You can see quite-clearly that there is an obvious-spread of all the microbes in his mouth & throat onto the plates, and he’s not even positive for coronavirus.
He notes later on that technically this is a Demonstration, not an official “Experiment” because of a few specific nitpicks,
But the result is the same. Even for what is likely just bacteria, and not viruses, or even coronavirus,
The spread of microbes is undeniable.
And both tests show that:
1) Mask-wearing is absolutely-effective at protecting other people
2) Social-distancing, especially past 6 feet is very effective too
There may be some debate over virus-size and droplets vs. aerosols, which even larger studies still have not resolved,
But his demonstration is an extremely-important one, and we’re all lucky he’s done it.
Photo: Rich Davis, PhD
Photo: Rich Davis, PhD
If We Keep Ignoring Medical Advice, We’ll Get Herd-Immunity The Hard Way:
Hopefully, this will make a difference.
Because in many of the new hot-zones, they may actually be forced to close some things back up, like bars & health clubs.
Also, we also just learned that the infection rate for COVID-19 may actually be 10x higher than even the CDC thought,
Thanks to asymptomatic-carriers who think they don’t have to wear a mask or social-distance.
Even Dr. Fauci has said that if the new hot-spots don’t slow down, we could see 100,000 new coronavirus cases per day,
And 50% of the country could be infected by the end of 2020.
Which is astounding, because if you multiply the 1% offically-infected number by the CDC’s new 10x stat,
That means even in the worst-case, the US only has 10% of its population infected.
Providence PHC’s Short Comparison-Video Version Of The Airborne Microbes:
It's amazing how much good one little mask can do! Check out how a normal, everyday mask keeps respiratory droplets from spreading outside your body, potentially sharing viruses. pic.twitter.com/zeXyemJwO8
— Providence Eastern WA (@providence_phc) June 26, 2020
Bergamo Italy Will Be The First COVID-19 Herd-Immunity Test:
That is far, far away from Bergamo, Italy which just passed the 50% milestone,
And may be one of the world’s first test-cases for whether or not herd-immunity actually works for coronavirus.
Let’s all hope that Dr. Rich & his colleagues at the Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center can make a difference for national behavior.
Because as stated before, even though we probably won’t have a vaccine for coronavirus before April 2021,
Herd-immunity is both a very dumb and very costly way to fight a disease in-terms of human life.
So we all have to use every way we can to avoid spreading the virus the way those petri dishes show.
References & Links:
• Source: Twitter – Rich Davis, PhD
• More Coverage: Twitter – Providence PHC | CDC – Coronavirus Safety
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