Washington Post: “In guidance updated late last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned against wearing masks with exhalation valves or vents, a type of face covering made for hot and dusty construction work that has become a popular pandemic accessory because of its seemingly high-tech design. “The purpose of masks is to keep respiratory droplets from reaching others to aid with source control,” the agency’s guidance reads. “However, masks with one-way valves or vents allow air to be exhaled through a hole in the material, which can result in expelled respiratory droplets that can reach others. This type of mask does not prevent the person wearing the mask from transmitting COVID-19 to others.vent.” 3M, which makes valve masks for construction work, illustrates on its website how they work: inhaled air is filtered through the fabric part of the mask, and hot, humid exhaled air goes out through the valve. The system may be what you want when tearing out a kitchen for remodeling, but the valve defeats the purpose when you’re trying to slow the spread of a virus. Public health experts recommend mask-wearing to prevent respiratory droplets from spreading into the air when you exhale, speak, cough or sneeze, and the valves allow those droplets through. Medical masks, you’ll notice, do not have valves…”
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Daily Archives: August 12, 2020
When and how to vote in all 50 states
Axios: “Millions of Americans who normally vote in person on election day will turn to early voting or mail-in ballots this fall — but that only works if you understand your state’s election rules, deadlines and how to ensure your vote is counted. Driving the news: Axios is launching an interactive resource, built on research by RepresentUs,… Continue Reading
Hate your internet provider? Here’s why you might be stuck with them
Fast Company: “Ever wish you could ditch your ISP for one with higher speeds and lower costs? Too bad. According to a new report from the Institute for Local Self Reliance, a local community economic development advocacy group, tens of millions of Americans have no real choice in who their Internet service provider is…” Continue Reading
PowerOutage.us
“PowerOutage.us is an on going project created to track, record, and aggregate power outages across the United States. Find out more on our About page. Click on a state to see more information. Data is updated site wide approximately every ten minutes. PowerOutage.US collects, records, and aggregates live power outage data from utilities all over the… Continue Reading
Why stores need to pay more attention to the air we breathe
CNN – “During the coronavirus pandemic, supermarkets and retail stores have added a variety of safety features. Workers have been required to mask up and, more recently, most customers too. But most have yet to tackle what could be another important safety measure — changes to the systems that keep the stores hot and cold,… Continue Reading
The Other Way Trump Could Destroy the Next Presidency
The Atlantic [paywall] – via MSN [no paywall]: “…Presidential transitions are the connective tissue of the American political process. Past presidents and members of Congress have recognized the importance of a smooth transition through legislation and norms established in past handovers. Outgoing President George H. W. Bush underlined this point in his valedictory note to… Continue Reading
Do you really have to wash your mask after every use?
Vox – Short answer: Yes. Masks have become a necessity. Here’s how to pick the right one, and wash it. “…“It’s definitely recommended to wash that mask every day,” said Dr. Ravina Kullar, an infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist. Dr. Kullar points out that the purpose of the mask is to prevent the virus from… Continue Reading
COVID-19 Testing: Frequently Asked Questions
CRS report via, LC – COVID-19 Testing: Frequently Asked Questions. August 11, 2020 “…This CRS report provides answers to numerous questions related to COVID-19 testing, including types of testing available and their reliability; testing capacity and infrastructure; delivery of testing, including the settings where testing is available; payment for testing, including the provision by federally… Continue Reading
What We Know (and Don’t) About Russia’s Supposed COVID-19 Vaccine
Lifehacker: “Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the optimism that “we’ll get through this” and be “back to normal” sometime soon has been pinned to the development and approval of an effective vaccine against the novel coronavirus. Major pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and Moderna have been conducting clinical trials for multiple formulations… Continue Reading
Something fundamental has changed about the ways Americans vote
The Atlantic: “Although it is slowly dawning on the press and the electorate that Election Day will be more like Election Week or Election Month this year, thanks to coronavirus-related complications, the blue shift remains obscure. But the effect could be much larger and far more consequential in 2020, as Democrats embrace voting by mail… Continue Reading
ABA Special Report e-journal highlights systemic failures in nursing homes during COVID-19 pandemic
“The American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging has released its July-August 2020 issue of BIFOCAL, a special report called “Is This a 9/11 Moment for Long-Term Care?” which features articles and resources to support the elder law community in these unprecedented times. Articles include information about states protecting nursing facilities from liability in… Continue Reading
COVID-19 Global Response Index
From FP Analytics: A country-by-country assessment of government responses to the pandemic. As governments around the world continue to grapple with the pandemic, FP Analytics has developed the COVID-19 Global Response Index to track countries’ responses to the novel coronavirus according to key metrics. While country rankings have been published by other organizations and publications,… Continue Reading
