7 Matching Annotations
  1. Jan 2022
    1. Why note-taking is bad. Why you shouldn't take notes. Taking notes shouldn't be the end in itself!

    1. There’s new guidance that has come out in the last few days that cloth masks just aren’t going to cut it against Omicron. They just do not, on their own, filter enough particles out to reduce your exposure when airspace is getting filled with virus. What you want is a KN95 or N95 mask.

      Recommendation:

      Use N95 masks. Alternatively, use KN95 or KF95 masks, which are almost as good.

      Do NOT use cloth masks (worst). Do not use surgical masks (better than cloth but still inadequate).

    2. If you’re in crowded indoor spaces, you can avoid doing things where you have to take off your mask

      Recommendation:

      Stop going to restaurants/bars that are indoors. Do not attend events that are indoors, if you can avoid it. Definitely do not attend events that are indoors and involve removing your mask or involve other people removing their masks.

    3. All the evidence right now shows that vaccines are incredibly effective in reducing the risk of severe illness and death from Covid. And this is true even for new variants such as Delta and Omicron, even though the vaccines were not specifically designed for them. One can reduce the risk of severe illness even more by getting a booster shot.

      Vaccinated people (2 shots) are somewhat protected against serious illness.

      Boosted people (3 shots) are well-protected against serious illness.

      Everyone is vulnerable to Long COVID. We do not know very much about Long COVID except that

      1. It is scarily common,
      2. You can get serious Long COVID even if your acute COVID symptoms were not severe, and
      3. Vaccines may protect you a bit but they do not fully protect you.
    4. That is one of my biggest concerns with this attitude of not worrying about Omicron too much because it might cause less severe symptoms. We know that long Covid is a problem for the other variants. It’s a big problem that is poorly understood medically, but is very clearly a real thing. These are real medical problems that people are having for months to now years after infection.

      We should all be concerned about long COVID. You can get it even if you are vaccinated, and you can get it even if your acute COVID symptoms were not severe.

    5. But we can find almost no documented cases of transmission [via surfaces]. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, but it’s not something to worry about.

      COVID is not transmitted via surfaces. Wiping down and disinfecting surfaces is essentially useless. It doesn't mean it's a bad idea but it does not protect you.

    6. And if the air is not filtered, you’re going to get it. This “6 feet apart” thing is completely wrong. That guidance was put out ages ago when there was this idea that the virus is transmitted in these big droplets, but the virus is also transmitted in what are called aerosols—little droplets that get suspended in the air. If you don’t have good air circulation and you’re sharing an indoor space with someone who’s infected, you’ll get exposed no matter how far away they are.

      COVID is spread via "aerosols," not "droplets." These terms both mean "little drops of liquid," but the refer to specific sizes of drops, which behave differently from each other. It really is an important distinction.

      Droplets vs Aerosols:

      • "Droplets" refers to drops that are fairly large and behave like you would expect large drops to behave.
        • "Aerosols" are much smaller and behave more like cigarette smoke or fog. They can spread over long distances and they remain in the air (if unfiltered/unventilated) for hours.

      Implications of aerosol spread:

      • The 6-foot rule is useless.
      • Plexiglas barriers are useless (if they aren't creating an air-tight separation between two spaces).
      • You need an N95/KN95/KF95 mask that fits well. All of the air you're breathing in should go through the mask's filter material, not come in around the mask.
      • Air purification and ventilation are vital, especially in e.g. classrooms. You do not want to breathe in any air that has touched someone else's lungs, unless it was purified first.