Alva Review-Courier -

I’ve been experiencing an information overload regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m more than ready for things to get back to normal. The problem is that we currently don’t have a vaccine to immunize our population against the virus which has proven to be highly contagious. Things aren’t likely to be normal for a while.

A Knight Foundation poll found 58 percent of people believe they are well-informed about the virus. Separately, 36 percent indicate they feel overwhelmed. If you’re fed up with all the coronavirus coverage, I apologize for adding more. However, I’ve found myself puzzling over where and when it’s best to wear a facemask.

My daughter and I were discussing the use of fabric facemasks Sunday. In many situations where I think they should be worn, I find I’m in the minority. I don’t wear one at work where I am mostly six feet or more away from co-workers, but maybe I should.

Some Oklahoma mayors have ordered mandatory facemasks in public. As soon as the order was instituted in Stillwater, store employees found themselves in confrontations with customers. After a firearm threat, the mayor changed from a mandatory order to a recommendation.

An article in The Oklahoman says social media debates on the topic fall into two familiar choruses: Those who don’t wear masks are cast as science-hating barbarians who don’t care how many people die. Those who wear masks are cast as pearl-clutching bootlickers who do whatever Big Brother tells them.

Folks who grew up in this area, or like me were transplanted here years ago, tend to have strong feelings about individual rights. It seems to follow the pioneer heritage. We don’t like the government interfering in our freedom. It is also part of the newspaper culture that we defend our freedoms and our individual rights by keeping the public informed.

However, I consider facemask wearing etiquette to fall more into the realm of science than politics. I’m in that over-age-65 high-risk category, and I appreciate people who are being considerate of my health.

Daughter Marisa sent me the link to an article by Erin Bromage, a biology professor at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth who is also a comparative immunologist. After reading it, I’ve decided my mask-wearing criteria are wrong.

Bromage has gathered information on where people are getting sick and why those locations lead to spread of the novel coronavirus. She says most people get infected in their own homes after a household member contracts the virus in the community and brings it into the house. The sustained contact between household members leads to infection.

But where do people contract the infection in the community? Surprisingly, it’s not a shopping trip to the grocery store. Bromage says infection is a result of exposure to the virus multiplied by time. Ventilation or air flow also plays a role. Unless you stop and talk face-to-face with someone while grocery shopping, you’re at low risk for infection. It’s a different story for employees of the grocery store who find their space invaded by hundreds of people all day long.

One of the biggest super-spreading events is meat-packing. There have been outbreaks in over 100 facilities across about half of the states with thousands of workers infected. The workers spend all day in close proximity in often crowded spaces with poor ventilation.

Weddings, funerals and birthdays make up about ten percent of the early spreading events. Business networking such as conferences and conventions also caused significant disease spread. Six feet of distance is not enough prevention if a group is gathered in an enclosed space without much ventilation.

Most of us have heard about the outbreak traced to 60 choir members who were in a room about the size of a volleyball court and standing six feet apart. Incidentally, singing aerosolizes respiratory droplets extraordinarily well, according to Bromage. Over a period of four days, 45 of the 60 choir members developed symptoms, and two died. The youngest infected was 31, but they averaged 67 years old.

In short, you can have a sanitized and sparsely populated workspace, classroom, church or store and the virus will still spread if the space is poorly ventilated. Two factors that haven’t received enough attention are “ventilation” and “length of exposure.”

Until we find an effective way to combat COVID-19, I’m keeping my facemask handy.