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Old 04-05-2020, 08:02 PM
  #7  
Excargodog
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Joined APC: Jan 2018
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Actually, there is a lot of good epidemiological evidence that the SIZE OF THE INOCULUM affects the outcome if you are infected. That’s why even relatively young (30s and 40s) healthcare workers who get it occupationally are having significantly worse outcomes than age-matched people with community acquired infections. When it comes to infecting dose, size does matter.

If you inhale a lot of viral particles the viral load increases faster, giving your body less time to develop immunity compared to inhaling (or acquiring through hand-mouth contact) just a few viral particles. A mask may make the difference between a severe or a mild case.

Also, right now most areas are having each new patient infect an additional 1.2 patients. Once we get that number below 1.0, the epidemic will burn out. If we can decrease the spread by just a smidge, we start to win. Can a homemade mask do that? Possibly.

Can’t hurt to try.
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