Going back to the office …

The traffic on the road is building up of late. People are tavelling again as Covid-19 lockdowns are relaxed, but let us repeat: wearing masks, sanitising hands, physical distancing and even inoculation on their own are NOT sufficient to fight the Covid-19 virus.

As we prepare to head back to the office, learning institutions, retail outlets, malls and entertainment centres in the new normal, what must we be aware of? What are the necessary mitigation steps to take?

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Virologist Dr Chan Yoke Fun, Head of Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Malaya, shares the following in an interview (edited for clarity) with EdgeProp.my:

EdgeProp: How effective are surgical masks?

Chan: Surgical masks can contain, and therefore reduce, the dissemination of viruses shed by an infected wearer by up to three to four-fold (approximately 67–75%). When an infectious person wears a mask or face covering, the size of the exhaled breath is also reduced, and this helps to reduce the risk of exposure to those nearby.

EdgeProp: I have been fully vaccinated. Why do I still have to be masked in a confined space?

Chan: We can’t stop wearing masks for now, until more people are vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention US has also recently reinstated the policy to wear masks indoors to maximise protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others.

Studies have shown vaccines can protect us from severe infection. However, we can still get breakthrough infections after vaccination. Remember that our children population is currently not vaccinated, therefore herd immunity has still not been achieved.

EdgeProp: If I were in a confined space, would I be ok so long as I were masked?

Chan: Each protection strategy has its limitation, and therefore we need to use a multiple layered approach to protect against the virus, and help to keep it from spreading.

In addition to physical distancing, wearing face masks, hand hygiene and vaccination, the multiple mitigation strategies include improvements to building ventilation to reduce the spread of disease and lower the risk of exposure.

EdgeProp: Can people get infected just by breathing in the contaminated air?

Chan: YES, very likely. The risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection varies according to the amount of virus to which a person is exposed. In a systematic review of 24 studies, 17% of air sampled from close patient environments was positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, suggesting that viruses are present. High viral loads found in toilets and bathrooms, staff areas, and public hallways suggest that these areas should be carefully monitored for contamination.

EdgeProp: What can building owners do besides strictly enforcing masking and physical distancing?

Chan: Open windows and doors whenever possible. For instance, try to get a cross breeze so that air coming in from one window moves across the room and exits through another window. Filter the air with a purifer.

This story first appeared in the EdgeProp.my E-weekly on Aug 13, 2021. You can access back issues here.

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