Is the Coronavirus ‘Airborne’ or Not?

Some scientists are becoming increasingly concerned that COVID-19 travels as an airborne pathogen. Let's break down what that means.
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The early days of the coronavirus pandemic were a confusing time. There was a lot of conflicting information flying around and it was hard to know what to believe about how the virus behaved and the best practices to stay safe.

Many of the precautions put forth by public health organizations are based on the belief that COVID-19 isn't airborne—wash your hands, avoid crowded indoor spaces, wear a mask, and practice social distancing—but some researchers are now challenging this notion.

So, what is at the heart of this debate, and how does it affect you?

Right now, it is widely accepted that the novel coronavirus is carried by the droplets that we expel when we talk or cough. These droplets do travel through the air, but aren’t considered “airborne” because they typically fall out of the air immediately and land within about two meters. Hence the recommended 6-feet social distancing guidelines.

But smaller than droplets are aerosols — tiny particles that, as a rule of thumb, are under 5 microns in size.

If the virus was really just carried by droplets, there are some instances of infection that some scientists say shouldn’t have been possible.

Find out more in the Elements.

#covid19 #airborne #coronavirus #health #sick #elements #seeker

Read More:

It Is Time to Address Airborne Transmission of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciaa939/5867798
"There is significant potential for inhalation exposure to viruses in microscopic respiratory droplets (microdroplets) at short to medium distances (up to several meters, or room scale), and we are advocating for the use of preventive measures to mitigate this route of airborne transmission."

Scientists say the coronavirus is airborne. Here’s what that means.
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/7/13/21315879/covid-19-airborne-who-aerosol-droplet-transmission-cdc
"Though infection prevention experts know there’s a fuzzy boundary between drops that fall and specks that float, the dichotomy between airborne and droplet-borne is baked into how health care workers are trained to respond to outbreaks."

What 'airborne coronavirus' means, and how to protect yourself
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/08/what-airborne-coronavirus-means-and-how-to-protect-yourself-cvd/
"In all of these case studies, aerosol transport did not happen over long distances, which bucks one of the classic conditions for airborne transmission."

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