Mumbai: A latest study supports growing evidence for airborne transmission of Covid-19 in enclosed spaces.
Performed by a team of researchers from the University of Georgia, the study calls into question the prevailing thought on how COVID-19 can spread. The findings provide solid support for wearing face covering in enclosed environments with poor ventilation.
Researchers were able to link a community outbreak of Covid-19 in China to a source patient who likely spread the virus to fellow bus riders through the bus’s air conditioning system.
According to Ye Shen, an associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at UGA’s College of Public Health and lead author on the study published recently in JAMA Internal Medicine, “The possibility of airborne transmission has long been suspected, but with limited empirical evidence. Our study provided epidemiologic evidence of transmission over long distances, which was likely airborne.”
“It was largely believed that close contact through droplets is a major route of transmission for COVID-19. However, the widely adopted social distancing and hand washing did not effectively prevent the transmission globally. Instead, the number of new COVID-19 cases increased steadily,” added Shen.