ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire)— Your home may feel like the safest place to be to prevent a COVID infection, but what happens if someone in your household tests positive? Researchers have found a quick, inexpensive way to reduce the infection from spreading to others in your household.
We’ve seen the stories. One person gets COVID, then the entire household has it. But are there precautions that can reduce the spread of infection within the home?
“We found it was actually relatively simple to create a homemade isolation space that achieves the same differential pressure target that you might find in a hospital-grade isolation space,” said Eric Martin, program director at FSEC Energy Research Center, University of Central Florida.
They tested 17 different isolation room configurations to find the best way to reduce aerosol particles from spreading throughout the house. The best and most cost-effective configuration they found was using a bedroom with an attached bathroom. Seal off the heating and cooling duct work going into the room. Keep the door to the bedroom closed. In the bathroom run the exhaust fan.
Tanvir Khan, PhD, a post-doctoral researcher at FSEC Energy Research Center UCF noted, “If the flow in the exhaust fan is not adequate, then people can also use a portable window fan that could pull air from the isolation space to the outside.”
So how can you tell if a homemade isolation zone is working successfully?
“So, if you put that tissue down in front of that opening and you’re in the isolation zone, that tissue should be blowing in towards you.” Charles Withers, a senior research analyst at FSEC Energy Research Center UCF, shared.
And not blowing virus particles to other areas in the house.
Charles Withers explained, “What we’ve got here is something that most people on their own can take measures to at least improve keeping others safe in the house.”
The portable exhaust fan the team used for their study was bought online for 30 dollars. The researchers said the isolation room is best used in a detached single-family home. In an apartment or multifamily building, the negative pressure that’s created to generate an effective isolation space could result in drawing in air from adjacent units.
Contributors to this news report include: Milvionne Chery, Producer; Roque Correa, Videographer; Roque Correa, Editor.
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MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: PREVENT COVID SPREAD AT HOME? TRY THIS!
REPORT: MB #4967
BACKGROUND: A normal virus attacks the immune system by entering healthy cells and making copies of itself to multiply throughout the body. COVID-19 infects the body by latching on to healthy cells through the viruses’ spiky surface, especially cells in the lungs. COVID-19 then tales over healthy cells. A patient can be infected with COVD-19 through droplets from a person’s cough, sneeze, or breath. The droplets could be airborne or on surfaces, after touching said surfaces. Within two to 14 days, your body will respond to the virus if contracted. The virus will enter your respiratory tract, the airway that includes your mouth, nose, throat and lungs. The virus will go to a deeper area of the respiratory tract because there are more ACE2 receptors there that the virus likes to attach to. The lungs may become inflamed, causing it to be hard to breathe, which can then lead to pneumonia. However, most people usually have their symptoms end in a cough or fever. Eight in 10 cases of COVID-19 are mild and will subside after 14 days.
(Source: https://www.webmd.com/lung/coronavirus-covid-19-affects-body#1)
SYMPTOMS: Symptoms of COVID-19 include, fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea. While this is a wide range of symptoms, there may be more for people with pre-existing conditions. You should seek medical treatment if your symptoms worsen or if you develop the following side effects, trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone.
(Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html)
NEW RESEARCH: Research is now showing a decline in protection six months after being vaccinated. Therefore, the FDA has approved the Pfizer booster shot to further protect from the vaccine. The boosters have been authorized for elderly or high-risk adults already. You must have had your second vaccine for six months before you can receive the booster shot. As of October 1st, the FDA had not yet approved a booster of the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
(Source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/live-updates-coronavirus-covid-19#2)
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:
SHERRI SHIELDS
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com
