| Popis: |
The main form of COVID-19 transmission is via “oral-respiratory droplet contamination” (droplet: very small drop of liquid) produced when individuals talk, sneeze, or cough. In hospitals, health-care workers wear facemasks as a minimum medical “droplet precaution” to protect themselves. Due to the shortage of masks during the pandemic, priority is given to hospitals for their distribution. As a result, the availability/use of medical masks is discouraged for the public. However, for asymptomatic individuals, not wearing masks in public could easily cause the spread of COVID-19. The prevention of “environmental droplet contamination” (EnvDC) from coughing/sneezing/speech is fundamental to reducing transmission. As an immediate solution to promote “public droplet safety,” we assessed household textiles to quantify their potential as effective environmental droplet barriers (EDBs). The synchronized implementation of a universal “community droplet reduction solution” is discussed as a model against COVID-19. Using a bacterial-suspension spray simulation model of droplet ejection (mimicking a sneeze), we quantified the extent by which widely available clothing fabrics reduce the dispersion of droplets onto surfaces within 1.8 m, the minimum distance recommended for COVID-19 “social distancing.” All textiles reduced the number of droplets reaching surfaces, restricting their dispersion to |
