Coronavirus live news: Two masks ‘substantially reduce’ exposure; Italy to reopen ski resorts | World news

Some good news for asthma sufferers, and indeed in general, that a cheap and widely available asthma drug appears to significantly reduce the risk of people getting seriously ill with Covid-19, if it is taken within the first week of developing symptoms.

At the beginning of the pandemic there was considerable angst amongst asthma sufferers that their condition may make them more vulnerable to Covid. However, if the results of this research are confirmed by other ongoing studies, it could be that inhaled budesonide – which both stops people from getting worse and shortens the length of their illness – becomes the first treatment in the early stages of coronavirus infection.

As the Guardian’s Linda Geddes reports:

The Stoic study was launched following observations that people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were surprisingly underrepresented among hospital patients admitted with Covid-19, when other respiratory illnesses such as flu, tend to make their symptoms worse. One possibility was that the steroid inhalers they use to manage their asthma and COPD symptoms were protecting some of them from severe Covid-19.

You can read Linda’s full report below:

Italy is reopening its ski resorts in Lombardy, the region worst hit by the coronavirus. Lifts will resume operating from 15 February, which will mark the return of skiing for the first time this year.

Lift tickets will be limited and no more than 30% of hourly capacity of cable cars and ski-lifts will be allowed.

Skiing could resume next week in other regions, as long as they remain in the lower virus-risk “yellow” areas. The health ministry can change regions’ risk colours based on data from a weekly monitoring report issued on Fridays.

All of the country is currently “yellow,” except for South Tyrol in the north, Umbria in the centre, and Puglia and Sicily in the south.

Several experts cautioning against re-opening, however.

Over the last 24 hours, nearly 13,000 people have tested positive for the coronavirus, and 336 people died from Covid-19. The latest figures brought total infection numbers to almost 2.67 million, and the overall death toll to 92,338.

A study by the US CDC has shown wearing two masks can “substantially reduce” exposure to Covid-19.

The report summary said:

CDC conducted experiments to assess two ways of improving the fit of medical procedure masks: fitting a cloth mask over a medical procedure mask, and knotting the ear loops of a medical procedure mask and then tucking in and flattening the extra material close to the face. Each modification substantially improved source control and reduced wearer exposure.

The main thrust of the report seems to be that the better fitting the mask, the better the protection. The CDC – the peak US body for disease control – said the experiments “highlight the importance of good fit to maximise mask performance”.

The report found that in the lab tests with dummies, “exposure to infectious aerosols decreased by about 95% when they both wore tightly fitted masks”.

Alison Rourke
(@AlisonRourke)

A study by the US CDC has shown wearing two masks can “substantially reduce” exposure to Covid-19. pic.twitter.com/Z4VHOloZ7l

February 11, 2021

You may recall Joe Biden often wore a cloth mask over a surgical mask when he was on the election campaign trail.

You can read about the study here from the CDC and our story on it is below.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, with me, Alison Rourke.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found close-fitting surgical masks worn underneath cloth masks – known as double masking – can significantly enhance protection against Covid-19.

It’s the first CDC-backed research to recommend “double-masking”, although top US infectious disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, has recommended the public consider the measure in past briefings.

In other news:

• Italy will open its ski resorts in Lombardy from mid February – the first time skiing will be allowed this winter.
• A new study has found that a cheap asthma drug has appeared to significantly reduce the risk of people getting severely ill with Covid-19, if taken within the first week of developing symptoms.
• The WHO says that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine can be given to adults of all ages, after some countries decided not to give the dose to those aged over 65 over doubts about its effectiveness.
• The UK will be “more or less” free of Covid by the end of the year, according to Prof John Edmunds, a member of the UK government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.
• Germany is now expected to extend its lockdown until 7 March, but hairdressers may be allowed to open before the date.
• Brazil registered 59,602 new cases of coronavirus and 1,330 new deaths in the past 24 hours on Wednesday.