Distance Coronavirus Can Travel In Air Could Be 27 Feet
MIT scientist warns the social distancing guideline that asks people to stay 6 feet from others could be inadequate for preventing the spread of deadly coronavirus. The scientist said the virus can travel 27 feet and stay for hours in the air.
Through the newly published research, MIT associate professor Lydia Bourouiba who is an expert in fluid dynamics and was studying the dynamics of coughs and sneezes for years warned that the current guidelines are based on outdated models from the 1930s.
The droplets of all sizes carrying the pathogens can travel 23 to 27 feet,” said Bourouiba. The assumed safe distance of 6 feet won’t be sufficient to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
She also warned that the droplets carrying the pathogens can settle on surfaces along its trajectory or remain suspended in the air for hours through her research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
She quoted a 2020 report from China that said coronavirus particles could be found in the hospital rooms’ ventilation systems where the COVID-19 patients stayed.
Bourouiba is afraid that the current guidelines might limit the effectiveness of the proposed
interventions” against the deadly pandemic as they are overly simplified.Health workers need to urgently prepare themselves for an “underappreciated potential exposure range” while treating the COVID-19 infected patients. The distance coronavirus can travel in the air could be 27 feet rather than the previously thought 3 feet.
The current safety guidelines proposed by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention needs to be urgently revised, particularly for the frontline health care workers, Bourouiba told USA Today.
The World Health Organization had recommended only 3 feet to remain safe. But the organization said they always welcome studies.
WHO said in a statement that they will carefully monitor the new evidence on this important topic and as soon as more information is available, they will update it.
