WASHINGTON DC: A recent study by the University of Georgia found that COVID-19 spreads through air in enclosed spaces too. They were able to find an outbreak in China where the virus was transmitted by a passenger in an air-conditioned bus. The study was published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Ye Shen, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, said that the possibility of airborne transmission of novel coronavirus was long suspected but significant evidences were yet to be determined. the study raises questions against the previous studies on the transmission of COVID-19 in long distances through the air. The existing studies regarding the spread of the novel coronavirus tells that it can get spread only through close contact with an infected person. Moreover, despite adhering to the guidelines of social distancing and wearing masks, the COVID-19 positive cases have skyrocketed.
Shen and his colleagues conducted the study with epidemiologists of two regional Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in China following an outdoor worshipping event in Zhejiang Province. The attendees reached in two buses which made the unique opportunity for the study. Most of the affected people were in the same bus with the patient and both the buses had closed windows.
These findings prove that COVID-19 transmission is also possible through fine aerosol particles circulated in an enclosed space. As the weather gets cold, people will prefer to wear masks even indoors while in a gathering.