Just a quick note. I’m working clinically today so I probably won’t have time to respond to you comments and questions until this evening. But keep them coming and I’ll be back later! -Jeremy
Can you please cite any studies you've found that investigate the correlation between antigen test positivity and infectivity? Do they really capture the super-spreading window or do they lag? Does "faintly" positive indicate low infectivity?
We know people are infectious when presymptomatic and symptomatic, and we know that the antigen tests are now often taking 3-5 days after symptoms begin to turn positive, so I would be concerned about missing that window if we rely on antigen tests.
When we really want to know, we use a home NAAT test made by CUE. What are your thoughts on the superiority of these and other highly sensitive tests to predict ihow contagious someone is?
Reading this detailed "synopsis" on effects of proper ventilation and possible relationship to exposure and spread of COVID (let alone other viruses), makes me wonder if anyone else is actually engaged in important research related to this subject who also have a budget and paid staff to help? Thanks for your dedication/obsession. Also using this to thank you for your recent interview of 2 other docs on the important subject of the loss of Affirmative Action in terms of negative impact on needed mentorship of incoming docs who are Black or Latino/Latina let alone the patients who are Black or Latino/Latina. It is a problem I see all the time living in a MA city that is over 50% Latina/Latino. Now exacerbated by no protections of Affirmative Action. Same problem exists in our public education system, by the way.
Early in the pandemic I read about a company working on a device that could detect viruses in the air, so a place like a hospital or airport could rapidly screen every person entering the facility. They claimed they had proof of concept and would run larger trials Real Soon Now.
But the silence has been deafening for a few years. Dunno if they just ran out of funds or their tech turned out not to work or what.
But if we had such a device it could be game changing.
Interesting take. My curiosity is about the super-shedders. Early on in the pandemic, there was quite a bit of discussion about this phenomenon. At the time, I believe that the assumption was that some individuals had a far greater maximum amount of virus shed, that is that the total amount shed during an infection varied by orders of magnitude among different individuals. From Marc Johnson's research tracking variants in wastewater, I gather some individuals can shed something like five or six orders of magnitude more (non-transmissible) virus from their gut than average.
Has there been research to indicate one way or the other on this issue for respiratory transmission?
Great comments/questions here - thanks to all for the insights.
Clark Kent has some very good questions about antigen tests that I hope you'll respond to. I have been doubtful for a long time about their value since they apparently produce so many false negatives when somebody is infectious. And what about the alternative test he mentions?
***Hi all***
Just a quick note. I’m working clinically today so I probably won’t have time to respond to you comments and questions until this evening. But keep them coming and I’ll be back later! -Jeremy
Can you please cite any studies you've found that investigate the correlation between antigen test positivity and infectivity? Do they really capture the super-spreading window or do they lag? Does "faintly" positive indicate low infectivity?
We know people are infectious when presymptomatic and symptomatic, and we know that the antigen tests are now often taking 3-5 days after symptoms begin to turn positive, so I would be concerned about missing that window if we rely on antigen tests.
When we really want to know, we use a home NAAT test made by CUE. What are your thoughts on the superiority of these and other highly sensitive tests to predict ihow contagious someone is?
Thank you!
Reading this detailed "synopsis" on effects of proper ventilation and possible relationship to exposure and spread of COVID (let alone other viruses), makes me wonder if anyone else is actually engaged in important research related to this subject who also have a budget and paid staff to help? Thanks for your dedication/obsession. Also using this to thank you for your recent interview of 2 other docs on the important subject of the loss of Affirmative Action in terms of negative impact on needed mentorship of incoming docs who are Black or Latino/Latina let alone the patients who are Black or Latino/Latina. It is a problem I see all the time living in a MA city that is over 50% Latina/Latino. Now exacerbated by no protections of Affirmative Action. Same problem exists in our public education system, by the way.
Early in the pandemic I read about a company working on a device that could detect viruses in the air, so a place like a hospital or airport could rapidly screen every person entering the facility. They claimed they had proof of concept and would run larger trials Real Soon Now.
But the silence has been deafening for a few years. Dunno if they just ran out of funds or their tech turned out not to work or what.
But if we had such a device it could be game changing.
Hi Jeremy, sorry but I don't know what you're referencing in "see above". Thanks!
Interesting take. My curiosity is about the super-shedders. Early on in the pandemic, there was quite a bit of discussion about this phenomenon. At the time, I believe that the assumption was that some individuals had a far greater maximum amount of virus shed, that is that the total amount shed during an infection varied by orders of magnitude among different individuals. From Marc Johnson's research tracking variants in wastewater, I gather some individuals can shed something like five or six orders of magnitude more (non-transmissible) virus from their gut than average.
Has there been research to indicate one way or the other on this issue for respiratory transmission?
Great comments/questions here - thanks to all for the insights.
Have heard that air exchange in planes is quite high. Sometimes up to every 6 min. Do you mask when flying? 🧐
Clark Kent has some very good questions about antigen tests that I hope you'll respond to. I have been doubtful for a long time about their value since they apparently produce so many false negatives when somebody is infectious. And what about the alternative test he mentions?