Chennai: Researchers have simulated how the novel coronavirus spreads indoors via aerosols as infected people speak or exhale, and have found the features of good ventilation that can filter virus particles out of the air, information that may help businesses and schools reduce Covid-19 transmission when they reopen.
Scientists, including Jiarong Hong from the University of Minnesota in the US, modelled indoor airborne virus transmission via aerosols, which are tiny droplets ejected from people’s mouths when they exhale, speak, or cough.
As per the yet-to-be peer reviewed study, published in the preprint server arXiv, when an infected person does this, the virus particles hitch a ride on the aerosols as they land on nearby surfaces, or are inhaled by another person.
Using precise experimental measurements of aerosols released by eight asymptomatic individuals with Covid-19, the scientists numerically modelled the external flow of the virus through the air in three interior spaces — an elevator, a classroom, and a supermarket.