More than two years into the pandemic, researchers caution that one of the world’s most potent weapons against COVID-19—properly ventilating public spaces—is still not being used.
According to Antoine Flahault, head of the Institute of Global Health at the University of Geneva, there is currently a “fragile, armed peace” with COVID-19.
“We need to minimize the degree of contamination, which the vaccine cannot achieve alone,” he stated, “in the hopes of stopping the tide of the pandemic and reducing death.” “Improving the quality of indoor air is the next step,”
The air is where COVID-19 is predominantly broadcast. When an infected individual breathes, it is spread in huge droplets or fine aerosols; this is amplified when they speak, sing, or shout.
These aerosols can linger in the air for some time in a closed up or poorly ventilated room, spreading throughout the area and significantly raising the risk of infection.
Even though it is widely acknowledged that COVID-19 can spread indoors over a distance of 2 meters (6.5 feet) via droplets and aerosols, the significance of long-distance airborne transmission is still up for debate.
Researchers from the University of Bristol and the U.K. Health Security Agency examined 18 papers on airborne transmission from different nations.
People can spread diseases to one another when they are more than two meters apart, according to study that was released this week.