Is another pandemic coming out of China, and are masks a health risk?

Q Should I be worried about this newly discovered flu in China? A Chinese scientists identified a new strain of flu last week, which they say has the potential to become a pandemic.

According to researchers, the strain is carried by pigs but can infect humans and is similar to the swine flu that spread globally in 2009.

But there’s no need to panic just yet. There have been no reports of the flu strain passing from person to person, so it does not currently represent a threat to public health, according to experts.

The strain was first spotted in pigs in northern and central China. Some people who worked with the affected pigs had antibodies – a sign they may have previously been infected with the flu strain – but there is no evidence that the infection caused any illness among the workers. Q Can a face mask really harm you? A No. A recent report, widely circulated online, argued that face masks cause us to breathe in too much carbon dioxide, because it gets trapped in the fabric. Socialmedia users suggested the face coverings can trigger deadly ‘carbon dioxide toxicity’ caused by an excess amount of the gas in the blood, but this is simply fake news.

Carbon dioxide is expelled from the body in tiny molecules – so can easily escape a cloth covering or surgical mask. The droplets that carry coronavirus, emitted when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, are much larger and are effectively trapped by masks.

It’s also not true, as some people claim, that wearing a face mask obstructs your breathing. The materials are designed specifically to be breathable.

Experts also say that maskwearing is vital for controlling the spread of Covid-19. Q What’s the latest for those like me who are shielding? A From August 1, the concept of shielding – medically vulnerable people advised to stay indoors to protect themselves from Covid-19 – will be paused in England. This group will then be subject to the same rules as everyone else.

In the meantime, those who are currently shielding can enjoy more freedoms. From this week they can spend time outdoors in groups of up to six people – including those not in their household. People who are shielding in England who live alone, or who are single parents with children under the age of 18, can now also form a ‘support bubble’ with another household and can stay over, and spend time indoors with members of that household.

Those in England who are shielding no longer need to stay one or two metres apart from those they live with.

Similar rules also apply to Northern Ireland and Wales but the Scottish Government is still advising those who are shielding to keep two metres from everyone at all times.

Like Wales, Scotland has also not yet set a firm date for shielding to end. Northern Ireland expects to end shielding guidance on July 31.

Q Are some forms of public transport safer than others? A

It’s difficult to tell because there are no studies investigating this.

But some conclusions have been drawn from previous research on other coronaviruses, such as flu.

Data from the Institute for Global Health shows that people who use the London Underground regularly are much more likely to contract flu than those who rarely take it.

Experts say that any mode of transport where social distancing is a struggle, and there is poor ventilation, will increase the risk of transmission. Touching surfaces that may carry traces of the virus – such as poles or buttons – can increase the risk of infection too.

Trains with few passengers and seats facing in the same direction will therefore be less risky than a jam-packed bus. Opening windows, not touching surfaces and choosing carriages with few people reduces the risk of infection.

Last week, Ashley Woodcock, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Manchester University, said that aircraft are the ‘safest form of public transport’, because the air is constantly filtered.

Strict queuing systems and all seats facing the same way are further benefits, he said.

However, there is currently no evidence to suggest Covid-19 spreads less efficiently on aircraft, compared with buses, Tubes and trains.