Effective ventilation key factor to stop Covid-19 spread: Study

London, Oct 21 : New research adds to the growing body of evidence that effective or proper indoor ventilation may be a key factor in preventing the spread of Covid-19 virus.
The study, published in the journal Environment International, found that SARS-CoV-2 is rather moderately infectious and a person would need to remain in a poorly ventilated room for a considerable amount of time to receive an infectious dose of SARS-CoV-2.
“Multiple studies provided quickly strong scientific evidence for successful indoor airborne transmission of Covid-19 in inadequately ventilated environments,” said study author Jarek Kurnitski from Estonian Research Council in Estonia.
“The virus is transmitted via saliva droplets with a size from 0.5 micrometres up to a few thousand micrometres produced by a person by talking, sneezing, coughing, or even just breathing,” Kurnitski added.
According to the researchers, the point is that small and large droplets act completely differently. Tiny droplets below 5 micrometres do not settle on surfaces, they remain airborne and follow airflow streamlines for tens of metres.
Large droplets above 100 micrometres in diameter fall down like rocks – they do not travel farther than 1.5 metres even by coughing.