Airborne spread of SARS-CoV-2 - a commentary by the Division of Internal Medicine, University Medical Centre Ljubljana
Zdravniski Vestnik
; 91(5/6):255-261, 2022.
Article
in English
| CAB Abstracts | ID: covidwho-1964492
ABSTRACT
Slovenia is one of the countries that have been most affected by the autumn/winter 2020/21 wave of the COVID-19 pandemic regarding the incidence and excess mortality among the general population as well as regarding the incidence among health care workers and nursing personnel. The World Health Organization has underestimated the importance of the airborne spread of SARS-CoV-2 and the recommended safety measures have not been entirely sufficient. When people breathe, talk, sing, cough, or sneeze, they emit respiratory droplets of various sizes, most of which are always smaller than 1 m. Respiratory droplets smaller than 5 m stay airborne in indoor spaces for a long time and travel over distances much longer than 2 m. Thus, an infected person in an indoor environment creates an infectious aerosol that may infect other people without close interpersonal contact. This short review presents the mathematical model and internet application by authors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for calculating the safe time before probable airborne infection occurs in indoor spaces. The importance of ventilation, air filtration, air humidity, and air disinfection by ultraviolet light is briefly discussed. The principles of preventing the airborne spread of SARS-CoV-2 are summarized.
Prion, Viral, Bacterial and Fungal Pathogens of Humans [VV210]; Human Health and the Environment [VV500]; Health Services [UU350]; Environmental Pest Management [HH200]; Mathematics and Statistics [ZZ100]; human diseases; coronavirus disease 2019; viral diseases; pandemics; public health; airborne infection; spread; disease transmission; environmental health; reviews; disease incidence; mortality; causes of death; health care workers; nurses; safety; hospitals; respiration; health care; cough; mathematical models; contacts; literature reviews; ventilation; humidity; disinfection; ultraviolet radiation; man; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Slovenia; Homo; Hominidae; primates; mammals; vertebrates; Chordata; animals; eukaryotes; Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus; Betacoronavirus; Coronavirinae; Coronaviridae; Nidovirales; positive-sense ssRNA Viruses; ssRNA Viruses; RNA Viruses; viruses; Balkans; Southern Europe; Europe; Central Europe; European Union Countries; high income countries; Mediterranean Region; very high Human Development Index countries; SARS-CoV-2; viral infections; death rate
Full text:
Available
Collection:
Databases of international organizations
Database:
CAB Abstracts
Language:
English
Journal:
Zdravniski Vestnik
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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