New Delhi, May 01: In a paper published in the journal Nature, Chinese scientists have found new evidence that the coronavirus could spread through the air in tiny droplets known as aerosols. In February and March, scientists from Wuhan University and Hong Kong collected samples at Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University and at a makeshift temporary medical facility used to quarantine and treat patients with mild symptoms. They also sampled the air in public areas around Wuhan, including a residential building, a supermarket and two department stores.
And they found that levels of concentration of the virus’ RNA (the genetic blueprint of the virus) in aerosols was very low in isolation wards and ventilated patient rooms — but elevated in “patients’ toilet areas”. (No evidence of the virus was found in a supermarket and residential building the researchers also examined.)
The researchers also detected viruses in the air in the locations where staff members took off their protective garments, suggesting that viruses that had settled on clothing could be knocked back into the air. These readings were greatly reduced after the hospitals implemented more rigorous cleaning procedures.
Now, finding genetic evidence of the virus in aerosol particles doesn’t definitively mean that infectious coronavirus can linger in the air — but it also doesn’t mean there’s no cause for concern. However, the paper highlights an ongoing debate over how the virus spreads. Note: WHO so far has claimed that the virus mainly spreads through larger droplets that fall to the ground relatively quickly and through contaminated surfaces. The Wuhan data also echo findings at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where other researchers also found coronavirus RNA in the air as well as on surfaces in rooms.
The main takeaway of the study is that while the scientists couldn’t find substantial traces of the virus in well-ventilated and open spaces, confined spaces such as bathrooms could be where the virus spreads.
