Science and Digital Briefs for June 17 By Shopper Editor Dave Bunting

Anti-virus Masks
The purpose of all masks is to prevent transmission of the virus from others to the wearer and reduce the transmission of respiratory droplets from the wearer to others and to the environment.
Three types of masks:
1. Respirators available at different performance levels such as N95: these high quality masks are specifically designed to prevent inhalation of droplets by healthcare workers who provide care to COVID-19 patients in settings and areas where aerosol generating procedures are undertaken. These masks also protect the patient and the patient’s environment from droplets exhaled by the wearer. 
 As with any mask, the mask must be donned correctly to prevent air leaks around the edges when the wearer inhales.
 The general public is discouraged from buying and using the N95 masks because they have been in short supply for the healthcare workers.
2. Medical masks (also known as surgical masks): these are made from a minimum of three layers of synthetic nonwoven materials. Many are configured to have a replaceable high-filtration layer sandwiched between the outer waterproof and inside comfortable layers. These masks are available in different thicknesses, have various levels of fluid-resistance and two levels of filtration.
3. Non-medical masks (also known as fabric masks, home-made masks, DIY masks) can act as a barrier to prevent the spread of the virus from the wearer to others. Though of the least effective materials, even these masks pretty much prevent the spreading of droplets by the wearer and the wearer’s inhalation of droplets in the environment. Better designs have several layers of cloth, especially non-woven cloth.
How do masks 
protect us?
Masks protect us because transmission via touching surfaces is much less likely than other forms of contact, the primary mode being breathing in tiny droplets from an infected person, person-to-person contact in an enclosed space for a long period of time.
How long does the virus live on surfaces?
Coronavirus can survive on glass for up to 96 hours, according to a study by the Journal of Hospital Infection published in January.
Coronavirus can last on plastic and stainless steel for 72 hours or three days, on cardboard for one day and on copper surfaces for 4 hours.
But how about virus
on our masks?
A recent study found that a detectable level of infectious virus could still be present on the outer layer of a surgical mask on day seven. However the virus remains detectable long after it loses its ability to infect.
If you just store your mask in a dry place for a week, it will be free of virus. During that week run it through the laundry with your clothes to both kill any virus and keep it smelling fresh. Replace its middle layer filter it it has one.
Info: shpr.fyi/masks
COVID-19 Treatment could be available 
by September
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, of New York on Thursday said it has begun human testing of its experimental antibody cocktail as a treatment for COVID-19,
The dual antibody, called REGN-COV2, is being compared with a placebo treatment in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, and in COVID-19 patients who have symptoms but are not sick enough to be hospitalized.
“If it goes perfectly well, within a week or two we will move to the second phase. Within a month or so of that we will have clear data that this is or isn’t working. By the end of summer, we could have sufficient data for broad utilization.”
Remember this is a treatment to help us recover from a COVID infection, and not a vaccine. Vaccines prevent us from becoming infected and usually have no value after we are infected.
Vaccines are being developed but probably can’t be available until next year.
Info: shpr.fyi/regncov2
Second Wave?
As states have reopened, “Second Wave” increases in infections mainly result from increased testing.
As we reopen, additional infections are inevitable reflecting the fact that COVID-19 is a permanent change to the lives of humans and probably will be with us causing infections forever, as influenza does. We must learn to live with it as we live with influenza.
Hospitalizations have generally not increased much but remain relatively flat during reopening.
If hospitalizations should increase alarmingly, we’ll have to make some incremental increases in our separation and mask use.
Info: shpr.fyi/secondwave