Do you have flu or covid symptoms? See how to avoid transmission

Brazil has seen a significant increase in cases of Covid-19 and influenza, driven by the advancement of the ômicron variant and the epidemic of influenza A H3N2, which has already spread to several states.

Faced with the high demand for medical care, even a trip to the emergency room can mean a risk for those who have the flu syndrome and even for those who are accompanying the sick.

Because of this, some tips can help reduce the risk of contagion waiting to take a test or to undergo medical care in clinics and hospitals.

After almost two years of the pandemic, experts say that care to prevent transmission of the coronavirus or H3N2 remains the same: wearing masks, maintaining physical distance and hand hygiene.

Faced with the much more transmissible omicron variant, it is important to consider reinforcing the masks to prevent infection — studies show that masks of the PFF2 or N95 type are more recommended to block their entry.

PFF2 masks are highly effective and can block 99% of aerosol particles. The ideal is to use models that have an elastic band behind the head and keep them well sealed to the face.

Considering hospital environments with a high incidence of sick people, doctors and specialists recommend using them if it is necessary to seek medical attention.

“The first recommendation is: a person with a flu symptom that can be attributed to flu or Covid, if possible, stay at home, in isolation. [ela] must use masks of type PFF2 [ou a N95] and ensure that it is well adjusted to the face”, says infectious disease specialist and professor at Unicamp, Raquel Stucchi.

According to estimates made by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the transmission of the omicron from one infected person to another when both are not wearing a mask can occur in up to 15 minutes.

When using a PFF2 mask, the infected patient can transmit the virus to other people in a period ranging from 2.5 hours — if the other person is not wearing a mask — to 25 hours — if both the patient and the uninfected person are wearing a PFF2 mask.

In this way, a person with suspected Covid or the flu can prevent the transmission of particles containing the virus both to those around them and avoid inhaling possibly contaminated air, in case they are not infected with the virus.

“The ideal, really, would be for everyone to have PFF2 type masks, because we already know that it is the one that has the best effectiveness, now for other people, who are following or do not have flu symptoms, any mask is better than than no mask”, says Stucchi.

Of course, masks, even surgical or cloth ones, must be placed correctly on the face, that is, fully covering the nose, mouth and chin, says the doctor. “Mask under the chin is worthless.”

Physicist and researcher at the University of Vermont (USA) Vitor Mori points out that protection time estimates are relative and that does not mean that, after 2.5 hours in an emergency room with PFF2, you are no longer protected. “What the studies do is estimate perhaps an order of magnitude, but it is not definitive”, he says.

If at first the N95 masks might seem prohibitive because of the price, today there are already numerous brands with different price types that can make their access much wider.

Good PFF2 masks, however, must have the Certificate of Approval (CA), a five-digit number that proves that it has undergone tests at Inmetro. “Sometimes you pay more for a cloth mask with an antiviral technology that is not as effective as a PFF2. And the best place to buy these masks is in construction or PPE (personal protective equipment) stores” , says Mori.

For Jamal Suleiman, an infectious disease specialist at the Instituto de Infectologia do Emilio Ribas, the difference today from the beginning of 2021 is certainly the advance of vaccination, but even having received the two doses of vaccines against Covid – or already the booster dose – is not means that masks must be abandoned. “Whoever has flu symptoms and lives with other people even vaccinated should continue to wear masks and monitor with regular exams”, he says.

In addition to choosing the type of mask, some other measures must be taken into account to avoid passing a contagious disease such as the flu or Covid to other people.

The so-called respiratory etiquette is for both the coronavirus and the influenza virus: when sneezing or coughing, cover your mouth and nose with the bend of your arm, positioning your elbow in front of your face. If you sneeze or cough with your hand in your mouth, sanitize your hands well with gel alcohol before taking someone else’s hand or any object.

Although the risk of transmission of Sars-CoV-2 through surfaces is very small, perhaps even negligible, according to studies carried out to date, the transmission of the influenza virus by so-called fomites – which are droplets of saliva or sneezes with the virus – is already well established.

The act of putting the arm in front of the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing should be maintained even by those who are wearing a mask. “The ideal is to keep the mask or even move to another more open environment, but if you can’t get out, putting your arm in front already greatly reduces the particles that manage to escape under the mask”, says Stucchi, from Unicamp.

Even with the long waits in the emergency room, the act of eating or drinking, if you suspect Covid or the flu, should be done in isolation.

Suleiman reinforces another behavior that should be avoided: “I see many people put their mask down to talk on the phone, as if the masks prevent the understanding of the voice. of speech when we expel more particles. It is only recommended to lower it if you are going to eat or drink, and then put it again”, he says.