Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Shocking news appeared in the near future. Corona virus that causes Covid-19 is rumored to be able to spread through the air. The World Health Organization (WHO), which was initially skeptical of this, is now beginning to open up and prepare guidelines to minimize the risk of airborne transmission.
The change in WHO’s view was triggered by the encouragement of hundreds of scientists to publish an article about the potential for airborne Covid-19 transmission. There are 237 multidisciplinary scientists from various backgrounds ranging from aerosol scientists, infectious specialists to epidemiologists.
In an article entitled ‘It is Time to Address Airborne Transmission of COVID-19’ written by Lidia Morawska and Donald K. Milton, states that Covid-19 can be transmitted through the air (airborne). Lidia Morowska is an aerosol scientist from Queensland University of Technology and Donald K Milton is from the University of Maryland School of Public Health.
Studies conducted by many scientists show that the virus can be released when an infected person breathes, talks, sneezes until coughs.
Drops of water (microdroplets) are proven to contain viruses and can float in the air. Microdroplets that float in the air are then referred to as aerosols in the sense of the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).
People who are close (1-2 meters) at risk of exposure to these microdroplets. When a microdroplet containing is inhaled by another person or falls on the surface of an object or body of that person, the route of transmission begins.
Study conducted by Matthew et al published in a journal Environment International shows that microdroplets measuring 5 micro meters can move up to tens of meters and can float at an altitude of 1.5 m from the floor.
Please note that the micrometer size is equivalent to one millionth of a meter. This means that 5 micro meters is equivalent to 5 million meters. Obviously a very small size and invisible (invisible).
Several retrospective studies conducted after the SARS-CoV-1 (SARS) epidemic showed that air transmission was the mechanism most likely to explain the spatial pattern of the infection.
Another study conducted in China showed the potential of Covid-19 transmission in a restaurant with poor ventilation.
Li et al show evidence supporting that a virus particle floating in the air (aerosol) caused the outbreak of three restaurant visitors when the three did not make direct or indirect contact.
Many studies conducted on other viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and influenza show that the virus can be exhaled into the air and or detected in the environment in an infected patient’s room.
This can pose a risk that people in such environments have the potential to inhale viruses and cause infection and disease. There are many other reasons that support that the SARS-CoV-2 virus also has similar characteristics.
Viruses with RNA genetic material such as SARS-CoV-2 that are in droplets smaller than 5 micrometers have been detected in the air and the virus is still capable of causing disease for some time.
Some other viruses can even survive in the air or even have better resistance in the form of aerosols than in the form of droplets that fall to the surface of objects.
According to the CDC, we are actually daily exposed to various aerosols and our bodies are able to block them. However, if the concentration is high and toxic, then it can cause serious problems.
When referring to articles and reviews conducted by Morowska and Milton, it is clear that the potential for corona viruses to spread in the air is indeed very high, especially in rooms with poor ventilation.
CNBC INDONESIA RESEARCH TEAM
