Wednesday 26 August 2020
No coughs
We have been out and about for a while now and something we've noticed is a lack of coughs and sneezes emitted by those around us. Not so long ago it was not uncommon to encounter a sniffling cougher or sneezy sniffler in shops and cafes but Mrs H and I don't recall coming across one since... since March when a woman coughed in the Co-op and dirty looks caused her to flee.
Our local Sainsbury's was particularly good at attracting shoppers with persistent coughs, but we don't go there now we have learned all about online shopping. Mrs H and I agreed that if we had a persistent cough we'd be too embarrassed to be out in public anyway, but surely public coughers were never particularly sensitive. Maybe things have changed.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
You're right!
Also, how many people with colds or flu have you heard of this year?
Summer weather.
Personally I have been sneezing my head off much of the spring and summer - the weather has been ideal for the garden flowers and it's been one long hay fever season.
Scrobs - I've not heard of anyone with a cold or flu this year, but I'm not looking forward to the hype once the flu season starts.
James - yes that probably has something to do with it, but fewer contacts with other people may have made some difference.
Woodsy - which would make anyone wonder about social distancing and masks if pollen in the air is so difficult to avoid.
After reading Woodsy's remarks re hay fever, I looked for details about pollen.
Are face nappies effective against Coronaviruses if pollen grains get through them?
(All sizes are approximate & averaged for clarity):
CV19 are 125nm or 0.125microns (0.0005mm)
Smallest pollen grains (e.g., Forget-me-not) are 2.5micron (0.0025mm)
Grass pollens are 20micron (0.02mm)
Large pollen grains (e.g., Corn) are 90micron (0.09mm)
So if your mask lets through pollen, it surely doesn't stop 'the bug'!
It's a fair comparison, as most pollen grains resemble Coronaviruses, being spherical with spikes. Stick your mask where the sun don't shine, it'll be just as effective!
Hay fever is a strange one, I used to get it as early as late February and then all season in fits and starts, now it comes in much later and I even thought I was going to get away with it a couple of years back, this year second week of August and with a bang eyes throat nose and the anti histamines whatever sort don't really give much relief any more.
Ed - I suspect the only real protection would be a full face mask with bottled air supply. Basic hygiene and avoiding crowds still seems to be about as much as we can do.
Wiggia - I don't suffer from hay fever, but Mrs H does although the severity of it has declined in the past twenty years. In recent years I've become slightly susceptible as if it is possible to become sensitised.
Post a Comment