I’ve been busy in the operating rooms as elective surgeries have resumed, but I wanted to share a powerful image looking at droplet spread at 1,000 frames per second:
Researchers from Australia studied healthy volunteers speaking and sneezing with various types of masks. Their camera work shows fantastic results: masks reduce droplet spread, and it varies based on the mask type.
A surgical mask was the best among all the tested scenarios in preventing droplet spread from any respiratory emission… However, … in case of shortages of surgical masks, a cloth face covering with at least two layers is preferable to a single-layer one
Bahl et al. Face coverings and mask to minimise droplet dispersion and aerosolisation: a video case study. Thorax 2020.
This is one of the more impressive camera shots I’ve found, and it shows the value of face coverings during a pandemic.
Stay safe everyone! I look forward to writing an article on “social bubbles” next.
Reference: Bahl, Prateek, et al. “Face coverings and mask to minimise droplet dispersion and aerosolisation: a video case study.” Thorax (2020).
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The information provided in this post in intended for general education. It is not medical advice. While I make every effort to provide the most up-to-date information, please note that new data is continuously becoming available and may change the conclusions I present here.
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