- The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed a few weeks ago that the coronavirus is transmissible through the air, responding to research by hundreds of scientists. However, the group did not endorse the facial mask mandates.
- Now, a new study demonstrates what we all feared: Coronavirus samples collected from aerosols in rooms with COVID-19 patients are truly infectious.
- Facial masks, social distancing, and hand washing can protect against coronavirus in droplets and airborne spread.
The new coronavirus is spread mainly through droplets, which are saliva particles that can be expelled by coughing, sneezing, and even just talking. They can reach other people and surfaces with ease. This is why we have been advised for so long to wash our hands frequently, practice social distancing, and wear face masks. But the researchers also showed that some of the drops are much smaller than we initially thought. Water evaporates after these droplets are expelled from someone’s mouth, and they become aerosols that can float in the air for much longer than large droplets. Instead of landing immediately on surfaces, they can travel longer distances, making them much more dangerous than large drops.
A growing body of research on the subject prompted 239 scientists to urge the World Health Organization (WHO) to recognize transmission by air. The WHO said there is increasing evidence of the spread of COVID-19 in the air through aerosols, but maintained its position that the transmission of drops is frequent. The WHO did not go so far as to urge governments to establish measures to manage airborne transmission, which could include mask mandates and changes in indoor air ventilation.
Two important questions need to be addressed when it comes to airborne transmission, and a new study just answered one of them. We have no idea how much of the new coronavirus in aerosols is enough to cause an infection, but researchers have now shown that the coronavirus in aerosols is infectious.
Scientists at the University of Nebraska published an early version of their study in medRxiv, which means that the work is not peer reviewed at the moment. The researchers collected SARS-CoV-2 samples from aerosols in five rooms with COVID-19 patients at a height of about one foot above their beds. The patients were talking and the researchers used a device the size of a cell phone to sweep these tiny particles.
“It’s actually quite difficult,” said associate professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center Joshua Santarpia. AFP about the process “Concentrations are typically very low, [so] their chances of recovering material are small. “
The droplets the team collected were as small as a micron in diameter, and were placed in cultures to grow. That is the only way to show that the virus in aerosols is still viable and can multiply if it infects cells. Of the 18 samples, three were able to replicate, demonstrating that the aerosolized virus can be contagious. “It replicates in cell culture and is therefore infectious,” said the professor.
This is the latest evidence that face masks are an absolute must indoors, as they can reduce the spread of droplets of all sizes, including microdroplets that a person can expel while talking. While it’s unclear what type of viral load in aerosols is needed for the infection, it’s clear that the more time you spend indoors with other people who continue to spread regular sprays and drops, the more likely you are to become infected.
Santarpia said the current debate over airborne transmission “has become more political than scientific. I think that most scientists working on infectious diseases agree that there is likely to be a component in the air, although we could argue about how big “.
Separately, Virginia Tech professor Linsey Marr, who was not associated with the study, said AFP that it was rare to obtain measurements of the amount of virus present in the air. “Based on what we know about other diseases and what we know so far about SARS-CoV-2, I think we can assume that if the virus is ‘infectious in aerosols,’ then we can become infected by inhaling them,” he said. said.
The complete study is available at this link.
Chris Smith started writing about gadgets as a hobby, and before he knew it he was sharing his insights on technology topics with readers around the world. Whenever you don’t write about devices, you unfortunately don’t stay away from them, even though you desperately try. But that is not necessarily a bad thing.
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