Singing is considered high risk for corona virus transmission, but there is almost no peer reviewed data that isolates the act of singing from other factors believed to cause transmission such as close contact, shared food, or poor ventilation.  Dr. Declan Costello, part-time tenor and full time London ear, nose, and throat surgeon is trying to get that data.  In an operating theatre in a London clinic, Costello has 25 professional singers and 15 wind and brass players singing and playing Happy Birthday into special funnels designed to collect, qualify and quantify droplets produced by the act of singing.  

     The aim is to find out how the number and size of droplets and aerosol particles generated by singing and playing a wind instrument compare with those produced by speaking and other forms of vocalization, such as coughing. The Covid-19 virus can be carried by the larger droplets, sometimes visible, that emit from a person's mouth. These droplets fall to the ground within 3 to 6 feet, hence social distancing requirements of at least 6 feet.
     

       Aerosol also contains much smaller, invisible particles that hang around in the air until they are blown away, hence the emphasis on being outdoors and ensuring good ventilation if one must be indoors with others. There is still a lack of certainty about the precise role these smaller particles play in the transmission of Covid-19, but opinion is trending towards the view that the virus can be transmitted this way.
     

       Why choose Happy Birthday as the test song and why do the study in an operating room?  According to Costello, "It had to be a song known to everyone and that didn't require sheet music; it had to have a decent range; it had to be sing-able in a variety of different styles because we've had singers from musical theatre, jazz, rock and pop, soul, choral, opera. And it had to have a good mix of vowels and consonants.  The reason we are in an orthopedic theatre is that researchers are taking advantage of its "laminar" air flow, an exceptionally clean system that helps prevent infections in a surgical setting. It means the team can be sure that every particle detected comes from the singing or playing itself, since there is nothing else floating about in the atmosphere."
   

         Of course being a singer himself, Costello hopes his study results will improve the chances that professional singers, musicians and amateur choruses can go back to work sooner rather than later, but there are no guarantees.  "Although I would be upset if singing were locked down even more, it's my duty to make sure the results are as transparent as they can be. If it turns out singing is dangerous, we need to know about it."  Watch this space.

       Well maybe and maybe not.  After literally months of negotiations and endless discussions, at the end of July major league baseball finally opened its very shortened 60-game regular season.  By the first weekend of the first full week, chaos reigned.  The Miami Marlins had to suspend play and hole up in Philadelphia when 14 players and some staff members tested positive for Covid 19 while playing a series with the Phillies.  Who knows whether baseball will be able to finish its season.  Never fear, while we have been missing live baseball, we have been able to get a little flavor of the ball park by checking in on Facebook with Red Sox organist Josh Kantor.  For over 100 days, Josh gave a daily mini organ concert on his Facebook page, 7th- Inning Stretch.  Now that play has begun, he will be putting up his concerts weekly instead.  You can Catch it here.