By: Ian Hill
The battle between whether or not the Coronavirus is an airborne disease or not is intensifying, despite the vast amount of evidence showing that it is, in fact, an airborne disease. Most scientists are starting to acknowledge the fact that Covid-19 can travel through the air, but people around the world need to recognize that the coronavirus is an airborne disease, and thus that it spreads much easier throughout large bodies of people.
At the beginning of the pandemic, experts had the notion that the coronavirus was spread primarily by mucus or saliva that people spread by coughing or sneezing. Butsaliva and mucus generally cannot travel more than 6 feet. Researchers are beginning to discover that Covid-19 can stay in the air as aerosols, or tiny particles of air, 5 microns wide, that contain the coronavirus. These can be generated by people talking or breathing, not just sneezing or coughing.
The virus can last for up to 3 hours in the air, so one infected person could walk by Ben & Jerry's, leaving the disease in the air, and then 3 hours later, another person could walk up, just wanting to get some chocolate ice cream, but instead get both the ice cream and the coronavirus.
One of the first outbreaks in China started with one man eating at a restaurant and getting 9 people infected. There are many cases like this; many people get infected through one person, even when they are more than 6 feet apart. This shows that the coronavirus can be spread through the air.
While handwashing and social distancing do help, there are only so many safety measures one can take. In enclosed spaces, the virus can spread freely, even with these precautions. Along with handwashing and social distancing, WHO is considering recommending avoiding overcrowding, properly ventilating all indoor areas, and using germicidal ultraviolet light filter systems to help minimize airborne transmission. Even an open window will help get rid of any aerosols in the air when indoors.