London choir closures

[W.Kearns]

No one has mentioned a vaccine. That surely is the only safe and secure way in which choirs will be able to continue. Of course that won't be of much comfort to choirs which have already been disbanded or which are in jeopardy. As someone who has been involved with singing in amateur choirs for well over 50 years I find it very sad indeed.

Agree, Mike, about the sadness.
Is it known, as a matter of interest, what outcome has emerged from the widely publicised experiments involving Salisbury Cathedral choir to determine the extent of virus-transmission through singing? (Apologies if that's a convoluted sentence. With luck, you get my question's drift.)

[choralmike]

Agree, Mike, about the sadness.
Is it known, as a matter of interest, what outcome has emerged from the widely publicised experiments involving Salisbury Cathedral choir to determine the extent of virus-transmission through singing? (Apologies if that's a convoluted sentence. With luck, you get my question's drift.)

I haven't seen anything, but given the recent news that minute droplets containing the virus can linger in the air even from speaking it doesn't augur well for singing. It would be appalling if the future of choral singing were to be the listening to CDs and endless repeats of choral services and concerts (however good these may be).

[jonfan]

I haven't seen anything, but given the recent news that minute droplets containing the virus can linger in the air even from speaking it doesn't augur well for singing. It would be appalling if the future of choral singing were to be the listening to CDs and endless repeats of choral services and concerts (however good these may be).

Yes I’d read about this. If these droplets have been a serious factor in the spread of the virus then it would have been more widespread in the UK than it has been. It’s going to come down to risk if the incidence can be brought down very low so cases can be traced. Hopefully, a positive in a worse case scenario, the House of Commons is masks only.

[teamsaint]

Yes I’d read about this. If these droplets have been a serious factor in the spread of the virus then it would have been more widespread in the UK than it has been. It’s going to come down to risk if the incidence can be brought down very low so cases can be traced. Hopefully, a positive in a worse case scenario, the House of Commons is masks only.

Yes, quite. Quite. This really needs saying.

[Wolsey]

I haven't seen anything, but given the recent news that minute droplets containing the virus can linger in the air even from speaking it doesn't augur well for singing. It would be appalling if the future of choral singing were to be the listening to CDs and endless repeats of choral services and concerts (however good these may be).

The actual testing started on Monday and will last for two weeks, and the analysis of results will take a few weeks after that. Please be careful about the use of terminology. 'Minute droplets' is confusing and fails to distinguish between droplets and aerosol. The wearing of masks and social distancing has been on the premise that the virus has been spread by droplets. In the past 24 hours, however, we have heard that the WHO has acknowledged that there is emerging evidence that the coronavirus can be spread by tiny particles suspended in the air, i.e, aerosol.

[Vox Humana]

Concerning the current focus on aerosols, this is worth hearing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU8Hf_5-oLc

[W.Kearns]

The actual testing started on Monday and will last for two weeks, and the analysis of results will take a few weeks after that. Please be careful about the use of terminology. 'Minute droplets' is confusing and fails to distinguish between droplets and aerosol. The wearing of masks and social distancing has been on the premise that the virus has been spread by droplets. In the past 24 hours, however, we have heard that the WHO has acknowledged that there is emerging evidence that the coronavirus can be spread by tiny particles suspended in the air, i.e, aerosol.

Many thanks, Wolsey. That's helpful.

[Nevilevelis]

From Dr Abdu Sharkawy (Infectious Diseases Specialist at University Health Network - a network of Toronto General, Toronto Western, Toronto Rehab, and Princess Margaret Hospitals and Michener Institute for Education at UHN in Toronto):

"Let's be clear. Covid-19 is a droplet NOT an airborne-mediated viral disease. Despite all of the recent attention provoked by a letter written by a group of scientists to the WHO, it is important to examine both science and real-world evidence.
To begin, it's important to understand the distinction between droplet and aerosol and how this affects the transmission properties of a given microorganism.
A droplet by definition is a larger particle, and in the case of SARS-COV-2 (the agent of COVid-19), it is usually > 5 microns in size. In microbiology terms, this is relatively heavy. If you wanted to borrow an analogy, it would be like throwing a medicine ball to your workout partner. You probably won't be able to throw it very far because of the weight and even if you were strong, you wouldn't get it to stay in the air for long because of something called gravity. This translates to a distance travelled of roughly 2 metres (6 feet in the Excited States of America).

In contrast, an aerosol is comprised of much smaller particles, usually << 5 microns in size. We're talking a fine spray or mist here. In terms of transmission, this would be analogous to a small balloon which might not only be passed on to someone much further away in a room but remain suspended in the air for a significant amount of time before someone else adopts it as their own or it eventually and slowly depressurizes.
What examples do we know of droplets and aerosols that can help us understand just how infectious these can be?

The common cold (also caused by a coronavirus) and Influenza are two of the best examples of diseases acquired by droplet-mediated transmission. These are acquired by either direct or very close contact with an infected source. You might very well get this from sitting next to, hugging or playing, or sharing utensils with them but you will likely be spared if you just happen to be on the opposite side of a large waiting room or in the same movie theatre (remember those days ... sigh). While avoidance of exposure is ideal, a simple barrier, like a cloth or surgical mask, will help prevent transmission from an infected person to others in most circumstances.
TB, measles, chickenpox and shingles are examples of infections acquired by aerosol-mediated transmission. They are extremely contagious and simply being in the same air space as an infected person can be enough to become infected. These situations mandate N95 masks to prevent transmission.

What does this all mean with CoVid-19 and why all the controversy? The truth is that at times - just to make life more confusing, create headlines and generate apocalyptic-level panic on Twitter and every news outlet from Wuhan to Wyoming - SARS CoV-2 CAN aerosolize, but only very rarely, due to a small subset of particles called "microaerosols", that are lighter and more easily dispersed than their heavier, and more dominant, droplet cousins. This happens very rarely however and it is the modelling that has been done on this variant of the virus that has led to this latest round of controversy. But a model is just that, a predictive tool that suggests what MIGHT happen based on a certain set of both facts and assumptions. It is neither truth nor evidence, but perhaps more aptly stated, an educated form of speculation. Nothing more. If the facts or assumptions are compromised in any way, the whole process is invalidated and you are left with little more than a sophisticated tea leaf or palm-reading. I don't know about you but I'm not getting my Infection control advice from Madame Zorra anytime soon.

If Covid-19 was truly an airborne threat, how would it have been largely contained throughout China, South Korea, and New Zealand (which hasn't had a single non-travel related case in weeks) without the use of N95 masks? How would we explain that several case reports cite few to no infected contacts after aerosol-generating medical procedures (intubation, deep airway suctioning and sampling, etc.) on patients in California and China who were only later identified as Covid-19 positive? You would have expected not only direct transmission to close contacts but massive outbreaks involving healthcare teams in these situations. None materialized.

So what's the take-home message? Science is wonderful and exciting and theories that emanate from all corners of the globe can be very informative to us all, provided they are rooted in an attempt to marry with real-world experience and evidence. This is one example that unfortunately does not do so. Instead of informing practice, it is inciting unnecessary fear, paranoia and unwarranted criticisms of public health guidance, including the WHO. Admittedly, the guidance has not been perfect but it has neither been entirely bereft of evolving evidence and epidemiologic experience.
Keep washing your hands. Keep your distance and keep wearing your simple mask indoors when you leave home. The only N95 most of you need is if it's the winning call on Bingo.

Madame Zorra's job is still safe and you will be too."

[Resurgam]

A letter in the Telegraph today asks how can choirs be more dangerous than pubs?

The writer says " Young people returned to local pubs at the weekend, talking loudly and laughing in each other's faces with little evidence of social distancing. Compare that with a cathedral or village choir singing Evensong, the members sitting parallel ( the safest way) and the two sides separated by the full width of the chancel. Which of these poses the greatest health hazard? Choral singing is an important part of our culture, as are pubs. Logic suggests either allowing choral singing and pubs -or banning both."

Very good points I say.

[Nevilevelis]

Declan Costello who is spearheading the current research with PHE into the safety of singing during the pandemic talks about just this point (c. 13:35):

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000kmyx

NVV.