The virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, is highly infectious, and can be spread by physical contact or by aerosols, sprays of tiny droplets we expel when we cough, sneeze, or even talk. We know now that surgical masks can block the transmission of the virus, but at the beginning of the pandemic, experts weren’t advising most people to wear them. The reasons for this were complicated, and included shortages that posed a danger to health care workers if there was a sudden run on the mask market.… Read the rest “Masks and soap”