Direct bacteriological danger to people working in confined spaces.
 

I was on the Lufthansa thread and gave serious thought before making a new post, given the importance of keeping R&N reasonably focussed, but aircrew are particularly vulnerable, being encapsulated together as they are.

I have been near carried off an aircraft and flights cancelled after spending a day with a FO that was coughing . . . a lot. He'd come back to work early because of of widespread sickness. His immune system was up to speed, mine was faced with something new. Double pneumonia about 40 hours after. (specifically bacteriological lung to lung - there is no absolute need to go via the virus phase.)

I'm bewildered by the incessant advice about washing hands - often delivered by talking heads that are spraying at each other. Of course, do it, but do they really think washing hands makes that much difference? This one meter separation thing mentioned on the news - it's a step in the right direction, perhaps two steps, but not enough.

I confess my post on Quora is a rant, though based on decades of observation.

https://www.quora.com/Is-the-world-b...he-right-light

The probability of me getting the virus is similar to yours. Slim to zero. I will text you around this time next year. All will be well amongst us. Miami will have some minor flooding issues, and Donald J. Trump will be re-elected.

I thought that door handles etc, are a major vector for transmission, are they not? Hence washing hands is a very sensible precaution.

Of course, sitting in the confines of a cockpit with a colleague who is unwell cannot help. You should have sent him home from the crewroom and refused to allow him to fly.

Do enlighten us as to how you plan to reduce your chances of contracting the virus to zero. Are you scheduled to spend the next six months on the ISS ?

Airborne droplets from coughing, sneezing and speaking, are the primary, direct source. These droplets do not remain airborne very long, and depending on air circulation, settle down on nearby surfaces, were the virus survives for a longer period. Direct contact with these surfaces, promotes further spreading onto the next contact surfaces, hence hand washing comes into play.
At least, that's my understanding on the subject.

Would it help if he edited his post to say "slim to (but not including) zero"?

And that's the problem. It seems it needs an Einstein-like equation to spell out the danger to some people.

Turf my colleague off the flight? If I'd know how ill I was going to be I'd have put a bag over his head, but we had hours of waiting for a swap of aircraft in a place where there was no practical means of escape. Though standing in the snow was an option. When a doctor was stethascoping me, he said, "I can't imagine what it was like for you on an aircraft with reduced pressure. It's bad enough in a hospital bed when one is as ill as you are."

Timelines, my solitary farmhouse digs, etc., etc., were all considered. Practically no chance it wasn't careless coughing that caused the issue.

The world's reaction to this flue is astonishing AND IT'S FOR A GOOD REASON. If we'd had that in 1919, a lot of lives would have been saved, though not possible of course where ships were packed with men being bought home. My grandfather survived Flanders, but not the flue. He died of pneumonia about the same time as this brave young lady - there is a website devoted to her now. Her determined face looking out of the sepia photograph always touches my heart.

There must have been a time when she realised the danger she was in, but nursing was a deeply felt duty.

https://heatonhistorygroup.org/2016/...gg-remembered/

evensb's post reminds me of Carnac the Magnificent, the TV late night Oracle of years ago:

Question: What will the virus, flooding and political situations be in a year or so from now?

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....005f8c8a19.jpg
Response:

But which will the most dangerous?