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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Researchers at the University of Florida have found particles of coronavirus collected in aerosols, and contributed to findings that the virus could spread in the air, a report says.
According to the New York Times, a research team at the University of Florida has successfully collected the live virus isolated from aerosols at a distance of seven to 16 feet from patients hospitalized with COVID-19. That is beyond the recommended six feet in social distance guidelines.
However, it was not clear if the amount of the virus recovered was sufficient to cause infection. The report said droplets could be damaged if they traveled.
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Another study by the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), the National Institute for Strategic Research at the University of Nebraska, and others, found genetic material of the virus that causes COVID-19 in air samples from both coronavirus confirmed inside and outside. patients’ rooms.
These findings provide “limited evidence that there is any potential for transmission in the air,” researchers said. However, they warned that the findings did not confirm the distribution of air.
Researchers took air and surface samples from 11 rooms of patients during the initial isolation of 13 people who tested positive for COVID-19. The researchers found genetic material from viruses on frequently used items, such as toilets, but also in air samples, indicating that “SARS-CoV-2 is widespread in the environment.” (SARS-CoV-2 is the name of the virus that causes COVID-19.)
Not only was the virus discovered in the rooms of the COVID-19 patients, “air samples from outside rooms where [the] staff were on the move and outdoors were also positive, ”she wrote.
“These findings suggest that disease can be spread through both direct (drip and person-to-person contact), as well as indirect contact (contaminated objects and airborne transmission) and suggest that precautionary measures for airborne insulation may be appropriate. , “they concluded, noting that the findings also suggest that COVID-19 patients, even those who are only mildly ill,” may create aerosols of viruses and contaminate surfaces that may pose a risk for transmission. “
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Scientists are still working to understand how the new virus is transmitted, although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it is spread primarily through person-to-person use, such as an infected cough or sneezing. Their respiratory droplets could then land in the noses and mouths of other people nearby (hence why officials urge people to stay at least six feet apart when in public). Touching an infected object – recent studies have found that the virus can live on surfaces between hours and days – and then touching your eyes, nose or face with dirty hands is also a possibility.
Tune in to FOX 35 Orlando for the latest news in Central Florida.
FOX News contributed to this report.
