A recent study on Covid virus has brought some relief. The virus loses most of its ability to infect shortly after being exhaled and is less likely to be contagious at longer distances, a study from the University of Bristol’s Aerosol Research Centre showed.
With some countries opening the debate in Europe about an endemic phase to the virus, insights into the way the virus travels across the air will help guide containment measures.
The findings indicate viral particles rapidly dry out after they leave the moist and carbon dioxide-rich environment of the lungs, curbing their ability to infect other people. Air humidity was found to be a determining factor in how fast these particles are deactivated, with shower rooms seeing a slower wind down than offices.
At humidity levels below 50 per cent, similar to the dry air found in offices, the virus lost half of its ability to spread within five seconds. When humidity rose to 90 per cent, akin to levels in shower rooms, the virus lost infectiousness more slowly, with over half of particles still contagious after five minutes, the study showed. Indeed some good news this year.