Breathing with a face mask does not change the oxygen level.The virus can last for 9 hours on the skin

Washington (Reuters) — Below is a summary of some of the latest scientific research on the new coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines. COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) (# If there is no character limit, add parentheses when it first appears, Diseases caused by viruses.

The average face mask may be uncomfortable, but even people with severe lung disease do not limit the flow of oxygen to the lungs, researchers say.

They are 15 healthy doctors and 15 military veterans, a fast-paced 6-minute walk, surgical mask for gas exchange, the process by which the body adds oxygen to the blood while removing carbon dioxide. I tested the effect of wearing. Flat and hard surface. Before and after the gait test, blood oxygen and carbon dioxide levels were measured. Neither healthy doctors nor patients with lung disease showed significant changes in gas exchange measurements after the gait test or up to 30 minutes.

The discomfort in the mask is likely not due to carbon dioxide rebreathing and low oxygen levels, the researchers reported in a journal on Friday. .. Instead, the mask may cause discomfort by stimulating sensitive facial nerves, warming inhaled air, and inducing a claustrophobic sensation. Researchers said such discomfort should not raise safety concerns. It may contribute to the reduction of “practices proven to improve public health”.

New studies have found that the new coronavirus can survive for hours on human skin if left undisturbed. To avoid the possibility of infecting healthy volunteers, researchers conducted laboratory experiments using corpse skin that would otherwise have been used for skin grafting.

Influenza A virus survived less than 2 hours on human skin, while the new coronavirus survived more than 9 hours. Both were completely inactivated within 15 seconds by a hand sanitizer containing 80% alcohol. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommends using an alcohol-based hand-rubbing method with 60% to 95% alcohol, or washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

Studies have shown that COVID-19 infections occur primarily through aerosols and droplets.Still, the author of A clinical infection report released on Saturday concludes that “proper hand hygiene is important to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection.”

New studies have found that common sleep disorders appear to increase the risk of serious illness in patients with COVID-19.

Using the Finnish national database, researchers found that the infection rate of the new coronavirus was the same in people with and without obstructive sleep apnea, but among those infected, those with OSA were hospitalized. I found that the risk of the virus was 5 times higher. When some people with OSA are sleeping, their breathing temporarily stops and then resumes. Often done multiple times at night.

OSA is associated with health problems such as obesity, hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes, but is associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19, even after researchers consider all these other factors. doing.

This study cannot prove that OSA caused more serious consequences.However, in the paper submitted to Prior to peer review, researchers advise physicians who evaluate patients with suspected or confirmed coronavirus infection to recognize that sleep disorders are a risk factor for severe COVID-19.

Small studies suggest that non-contact infrared thermometers, which have been used since childhood and are now used to screen for fever in public places, may not be able to accurately measure adult body temperature. I am.

The device is held at a short distance from the forehead. Since it does not come into contact with the skin, it prevents bacterial transmission and does not require sterilization after use. In a study of 265 adults in two hospitals, Australian researchers compared an infrared thermometer with a “temporal artery” thermometer that rubs the forehead. When the body temperature was below 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit (37.5 C), the device produced similar results. However, when the body temperature is high, the non-contact thermometer is “inaccurate” and the discrepancy increases as the body temperature rises. It was published in the American Journal of Infection Control on Friday.

Researchers said that only 37 study participants had a fever, so larger studies are needed to confirm these findings. On the other hand, they added that if an infrared thermometer shows temperatures above 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit in adults, it may be wise to measure directly with a body-contacting thermometer.

(Report by Nancy Rapid, edited by Bill Berklot)

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