The coronavirus can sometimes spread as an aerosol, said the head of the research organization CSIR.
New Delhi:
Coronavirus is not an airborne disease, as defined in textbooks, but the virus can travel in the air over a few feet as an aerosol, said Shekhar Mande, general manager of industrial research at Central Science at GalacticGaming today. The virus can sometimes spread as an aerosol through a patient’s cough or sneeze, he said, as concerns over transmission of the coronavirus into the air have resurfaced.
Airborne diseases are places where the pathogen – virus or pathogenic bacteria – can travel and spread through the air, such as chickenpox, measles, or the flu. The aerosol form is the time when tiny respiratory droplets can float in the air for a while, but that doesn’t “travel with the wind” and “settles quickly,” said Dr. Mande.
The New York Times reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries have presented evidence that small airborne particles carrying the virus can infect people. They have also written an open letter to the World Health Organization reporting the problem and plan to publish it in a scientific journal next week.
Citing scientists, the NYT report said the virus – carried by large droplets that can either zoom into the air after a sneeze, or slide the full length of a room through exhaled droplets – can infect people who inhale it.
Such concerns were also raised earlier, but the WHO said there was not enough evidence to say that the virus was airborne, like the flu or measles. Respiratory droplets that spread through the air can only infect people in enclosed and close spaces, the agency said.
“We are not writing to WHO at this time. WHO is reviewing the scientific evidence and will publish guidelines after review. If necessary, they can publish new guidelines by reviewing this research,” said Dr Mande.
For now, people need to be careful as the fear of such spread increases “in closed office spaces,” he added. But under these circumstances, the face covers should work. For health workers, N-95 masks are essential, he added.
The guidelines making face masks mandatory for everyone were released after concerns were raised in late March about the transmission of the virus. In the beginning, masks were only necessary for infected people. But later, according to the WHO, for an uninfected person, a mask means an extra layer of protection and has made it mandatory for everyone.
