The discovery of strong evidence of transmission of Corona infection through the air.

A person infected with Corona transmitted the infection to about 20 people in a poorly ventilated Chinese bus, who were in the front and back of the bus, that is, outside the range of one to two meters that doctors prepare again for the risk. of infection.

WashingtonA person on a stuffy Chinese bus infected nearly twenty passengers with the emerging coronavirus, although many were not seated near him, according to research published Tuesday.

Health authorities had initially ruled out the possibility that just breathing could send contagious microdroplets into the air, but backed off when experts pressed and increased testing.

The article, published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association of Internal Medicine, investigates the risk of airborne infections by closely observing passengers who made a 50-minute trip to a Buddhist event in the eastern Chinese city of Ningbo on two buses in January before masks became a prevention routine. From the virus.

Researchers believe an unidentified passenger was most likely patient number zero because he had been in contact with people from Wuhan, the city where the infection appeared late last year. The scientists were able to determine where the other passengers were sitting, as well as conduct an examination to verify their infection with the virus, as 23 out of 68 passengers were later confirmed to be infected on the same bus.

What should be noted is that the disease affected people in the front of the bus and in the rear seats, outside the circumference of one to two meters (three to six feet). Authorities and experts say it is the distance the contagious droplets travel.

In addition, the sick passenger did not show symptoms of illness, such as cough, when the group made their trip to attend the Buddhist religious event. The researchers also noted that the air conditioner simply recycled the air inside the bus, which likely contributed to the spread of the virus.

Referring to the name of the virus, they wrote: “Research indicates that in closed environments with recycled air, SARS-Cove-2 is a highly contagious pathogen.” They added that “our discovery of the possibility of transmission through the air is of great importance to public health.”

The study, which includes a diagram showing where each infected passenger sits, is further evidence of transmission of the infection through the air, including an investigation into how the virus spreads between restaurant tables in the southern city. from Guangzhou.

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