Question: Can we re-use protective gear, such as rubber gloves and masks? Is there an effective way to sterilize them after use?
Answer: In the ideal world, we would not reuse personal protective gear, like gloves or masks. But, we’re not living in an ideal world, protective equipment is hard to come by for everyone, and health workers are especially at risk. So what do we do since we’re not living in an ideal world?
Gloves: CDC is adamant that if you are living with someone who has COVID-19, you must clean frequently and thoroughly, and wear disposable gloves while you clean and disinfect. When it comes to just walking around the world, health experts do NOT recommend wearing gloves. Gloves won’t stop you from touching your face and they will be washed far less frequently than your own hands. If you’re concerned just walking around the world, just remind yourself to touch less stuff, stop touching your face, keep washing your hands, and stay home as much as possible!
Masks: When it comes to facemasks, CDC still recommends that among lay people, only sick people wear masks to protect others (for more on this, see Q&A from 3/20). When it comes to health workers, CDC has guidance about reusing masks when supplies are low. I think these guidelines would apply to mask use among lay people too — if your supply is low, keep reusing unless the mask is soiled, damaged, or hard to breathe through.
Question: Do we have any insight as to if there are activities that are more likely to infect people than others? Like for example, do we know if people were more likely to have gotten sick going to the grocery store versus commuting to work? Based on how others got sick, am I more likely to become infected picking up takeout versus having food delivered, etc?
Answer: Short answer: We do not know. Longer answer: Initial data from China showed that the preponderance of cases (75%-85%) came from familial transmission — folks living together. So far, it seems that the respiratory virus is mostly transmitted through people who are in close contact (e.g. within 6 feet of each other) and through respiratory droplets from sneezes or coughs. Whatever your activities are, try to keep a safe distance from other folks and minimize face-to-face interaction.
Transportation: When it comes to public transport, try to minimize it too. I say that because there have been a few studies looking at transportation and influenza that have found a relationship. One observational study of London Underground use and flu spread showed a correlation between the two. A case-control study, also in London, showed that people who saw their doctors presenting with acute respiratory infection were almost six times as likely to have used public transport in the previous 5 days. And 2016 systematic review of transportation and flu spread showed increased risk of flu and other types of coronavirus acquisition from various transportation types, especially air and cruise ship travel (which is not surprising given what we know of COVID-19 spread on cruise ships.)
Food: Since I couldn’t find more science on the matter, I did find this nice HuffPo article that synthesizes some of the risks of takeout/delivery and offers advice from some experts. In good news, there’s no evidence that coronavirus is transmitted through food, and there’s another good article on that front with tips too from Live Science, here.