Study shows evidence that COVID-19 is airborne

As the pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the globe, scientists and researchers are working at breakneck speed to learn more about the novel contagion. While initially, it was suggested by international health agencies and scientific communities that the novel coronavirus primarily transmits through droplets that are emitted from a sneeze, cough etc, there is growing evidence that suggests airborne transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Infact, findings from a recent study have supported the evidence in the favour of airborne spread of the novel coronavirus.

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As per a recent study conducted by the University of Georgia, researchers were able to support the increasing evidence of the airborne spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. To understand the airborne transmission of the novel coronavirus, the researchers connected a community outbreak in China to an infected person who had most likely transmitted the disease through the bus’s air conditioning system to the fellow riders in the bus. The study has been published in the medical journal JAMA Internal Medicine and sheds new light on the mode of transmission of the virus.

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It should be noted that close contact with an infected person is said to be the major source of COVID-19 infection, however, the steep rise in new coronavirus cases despite strict social distancing measures and the usage of face covers and face masks point to a different direction as well. To understand the airborne transmission of the novel coronavirus, the researchers of the University of Georgia worked with two epidemiologists from two regional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in China.

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To understand the community outbreak following an outdoor worship event in Zhejiang province, the researchers observed that people took two buses to attend the place of worship and both the buses had air conditioning system and closed windows. As per a report published in IANS, one of the buses carried an infected COVID-19 patient and later on out of all the people who had tested positive for COVID-19, majority of them had shared the bus with the infected person.

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Furthermore, when the passengers in both groups reached the outdoor place of worship and mixed together, the resulting number of new infections was much lower. This further pointed to the fact that the bus was the primary source of transmission of COVID-19, owing to poor ventilation, closed windows and air conditioning system.

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The unique research further highlights the importance of wearing face covers or face masks indoors or in places with poor ventilation. The researchers believe that this one step could be crucial in curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus.

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