Think of the virus as behaving like cigarette smoke.

[nature-lover]

From a CNN posting about the Olympics:

Linsey Marr, an engineering professor at Virginia Tech and an expert in how viruses behave in the air, said that cigarette smoke is a great way to visualize the most up-to-date understanding of how the virus lingers and how easily it can be spread. "Because it comes from our mouths and carries particles that are similar in size and behavior to the virus," she said.

If you imagine an infected person exhaling the virus as smoke and watching that vapor drift easily in the air, it will forever change how you think about protecting yourself and others.
The much more contagious Delta variant, which has grown at least seven-fold in Japan since the start of June, compounds the problem.

"So before, it was like an infected person was smoking one small cigarette at a time, but now it's like they're smoking a few cigarettes at once because we think they shed more virus. More smoke means that more will still be in the room even after the person has left. After the person leaves, the smoke becomes diluted as outdoor air replaces some of the indoor air, but if there was more to begin with, then there will be more 15 minutes after the person leaves," Marr said.

[link:https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/24/health/olympics-during-pandemic-gupta/index.html|

[Ms. Toad]

1. Excellent way to think about it.

I thought the debate about aerosolized particles was settled, and everyone understood it was more like cigarette smoke (that can linger long after the smoker, and can travel significantly farther han 6'), but it popped up again in a discussion on hospitalizing individuals yesterday - and whether they were a threat to anyone. The contention was - just keep them 6' apart and everyone is safe.

[Pobeka]

2. I am hearing that infected individuals can be shedding 1000x more viral particles than Alpha.

I havent' seen a paper on that yet, but holy cow, if that's the case, it explains why so many vaccinated folks can be infected. The viral load intake can possibly be so huge that you get symptomatic before the immune system has time to recognize it and launch a response.

Indoors most likely, and standing in the path of exhaled breath plumes for a small period of time could be the vector.

[Hugin]

3. A constructive comparison.

Nice.

During my masking experience I have learned quite a bit about air and filtration.

Especially, when moving through a grocery store.

No, I don't smell smoke anymore for the most part. Some allergens must still pass through, because, I still occasionally sneeze. Perfumes and some aromatics readily pass, but, others are missing.

Don't get me started on farts.