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Scientists said that the Corona virus could spread through air conditioning units after 24 people fell ill on a bus.
The tests showed that passengers had contracted Covid-19 during the 90-minute flight in China’s Zhejiang province on January 19, according to reports.
Experts have linked all 24 cases to a single passenger on the bus, meaning the viral droplets are likely to spread through the air conditioning unit.
The unit recycled the same air, rather than the fresh air from outside.
In an effort to prevent spread, these air conditioning units should not be used or should only be used with the windows open, according to Daily Star reports.
The UK encouraged the use of newly equipped units in offices, cinemas and other indoor spaces.
(Photo: AFP via Getty Images)
In a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the outbreak was traced to a single passenger before China locked down on January 19.
The study revealed that passengers who sat farthest from the coronavirus patient were just as susceptible to contracting the virus as those who sat close to them.
She notes that air conditioning played a role in capturing viral particles.
The article authors write: “Research indicates that in closed environments with recycled air, SARS-CoV-2 is a highly contagious pathogen.
Image Credit: Getty Images
“Our discovery of the potential for transmission through the air is of great importance to public health, and future prevention and control efforts must take into account the potential for the spread of Covid-19 in the air.”
At the beginning of the pandemic, researchers observed 10 cases of Covid-19 from three different families who dined at the same restaurant in Guangzhou, southern China, in late January.
An early July issue of the Journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases, published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that “the strong flow of air from the air conditioner could have spread droplets” between the tables.
