Yes, that's all very well but, nobody likes a smartarse.
Virus lifespan on surfaces and in air explained
- Thread starter ReJect
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Yes, that's all very well but, nobody likes a smartarse.
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Ok molecules that infect cells and direct them. Technically they aren’t living either but it helps explain how they “reproduce” and “survive” even when they aren’t able to do either.
Outside a cell, a virus wraps itself up into an independent particle called a virion. The virion can “survive” in the environment for a certain period of time, which means it remains structurally intact and is capable of infecting a suitable organism if one comes into contact.
@EFLImpudence i think you may be confusing how cells reproduce rather than how they “die”. Each virus particle is exposed to the same statistical chance as its neighbour. They will not last longer because there are more of them on the surface.
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motorbiking seems to know what he's talking about.
The simple message (to those of us who don't) is that this virus can last long enough on commonly found surfaces to become a potential source of new infection in a human host. So regularly clean these surfaces (worktops, cutlery, door handles), and regularly wash your hands.
Viral load (how many of the little buggers you have inside you) is considered important because it's a general rule of thumb that the more you have inside you, the more likely you are to become unwell. There is another number (minimum infectious dose) which is the number of virions will cause an infection in 50% of hosts. For covid 19 it's quite low so people are going to catch it quite easily.
A high dose (viral load) in the first few days when the immune system is still ramping up will generally be associated with worse outcome. This is probably why younger/healthier health care workers in ICU are dying when you would not expect the same mortality rate in the same younger/healthier group who work in offices.
This is why the immediate provision of sufficient PPE is so important for the workers in the NHS. I doubt it's possible to prevent infection (minimum dose/viral load is so low) but it's really important to reduce the amount of virus in the host early on. The immune system is a clever thing, but if it can't wipe out the virus quickly it needs a few days to mount an effective defence. If the lungs are already knackered before that defence can turn up in force then it's going to end up with a worse outcome.
The simple message (to those of us who don't) is that this virus can last long enough on commonly found surfaces to become a potential source of new infection in a human host. So regularly clean these surfaces (worktops, cutlery, door handles), and regularly wash your hands.
Viral load (how many of the little buggers you have inside you) is considered important because it's a general rule of thumb that the more you have inside you, the more likely you are to become unwell. There is another number (minimum infectious dose) which is the number of virions will cause an infection in 50% of hosts. For covid 19 it's quite low so people are going to catch it quite easily.
A high dose (viral load) in the first few days when the immune system is still ramping up will generally be associated with worse outcome. This is probably why younger/healthier health care workers in ICU are dying when you would not expect the same mortality rate in the same younger/healthier group who work in offices.
This is why the immediate provision of sufficient PPE is so important for the workers in the NHS. I doubt it's possible to prevent infection (minimum dose/viral load is so low) but it's really important to reduce the amount of virus in the host early on. The immune system is a clever thing, but if it can't wipe out the virus quickly it needs a few days to mount an effective defence. If the lungs are already knackered before that defence can turn up in force then it's going to end up with a worse outcome.
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Then "half-life" is not the correct way to describe it - otherwise some of them, or their potency, would.
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durhamplumber
Many people think all sorts of crap,,.no cure for stupid...The message is clear and everywhere....keep away from people....How much more clear do you need it???????...Whilst you are pondering.......The same numpties who argue against self isolation are probably the same people who fling dog sht up a tree,,,,wrapped in plastic bag....FFFF offf......Nobody is ever ever ever freeekin ever going to penetrate their numb skulls.Do you suggest we spend millions on public broadcast info to explain to them perhaps it ain’t such a good idea.They ain’t givin a fooooooook.They are too busy eating sht and reaching their goal of 20clem by age of 25Well my dear Watson, seems to be a lot of clowns who think otherwise and just my thesis.
But feel free to give your opinion on avoidance advice of this virus (for now), old chap!
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Maybe explained already. Just like radioactivity it has a half life how ever much of it there is.
Forgot to mention that theory means 1 is enough to infect.
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The only difference is size - the general public being seen as thick wouldn't understand what the word aerosols means and might think of hair lacquer or nose sprays.
Yes, but if there is more or it is stronger at the start, then it will always be more or stronger and take longer to reduce to a certain level...
...and, as said, half-life never reduces to zero.
Choose your starting number or strength.
No. of time periods.
........units or strength values
1. 1,000,000,000
2. 500,000,000
3. 250,000,000
4. 125,000,000
5. 62,500,000
6. 31,250,000
7. 15,625,000
8. 7,812,500
9. 3,906,250
10. 1,953,125
11. 976,562
12. 488,281
13. 244,140
14. 122,070
15. 61,035
16. 30,517
17. 15,285
18. 7,629
19. 3,814
20. 1,907 ad infinitum.
Yes in a certain way. A worry for health workers - repetitive doses of the virus making life harder for the immune system. This doesn't relate really to the half life - that's just concerned with the decay rate in an aerosol. How many "aerosols" ie tiny drops sets the dose, viral count relates to the half life.
Aerosols - one way of checking if some one is dead. Mirror next to nose / mouth and see if it mists up. When some one coughs or sneezes they travel for very long distances. Should add water vapour -
for the pedantic.
No, it doesn't.
If it was then - If level 20 in my list represents a safe level (it might be level 30 I don't know).
Then it depends at what level you start how many half-life time periods are needed to get there, doesn't it?
There isn't a safe level. If you had no immune system 1 virus could cause problems. The higher the dose the more difficulty the immune system will have coping with it. So a single "droplet" gets safer and safer over time. That's all the half life is about.
Imagine your head in a bucket of plutonium compared with small piece of it stuck to the top of it. The 1/2 life is the same for both but one will cause far more damage over a bigger area than the other but both may well kill you. I suspect I know what your reply will be to that. Ans - is the immune system instantaneous?
it does not float in the air for 3 hours, it is carried by droplets only, like from a cough,sneeze,ect then it starts to fall to the ground or surfaces. this is info from a medical expert on LBC.
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