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Is Coronavirus Airborne?
New research suggests that Covid-19 droplets can linger in the air
As people everywhere scramble to keep a safe distance from one another (or not), scientists are hard at work trying to figure out whether the coronavirus is airborne. While they agree that coughing, sneezing, talking, and breathing can expel tiny droplets of moisture that can contain the virus, it isn’t quite clear how long those droplets hang in the air.
Today in the journal Nature, however, researchers from Wuhan, China, offer a bit of clarity. In their small study of the air in two Wuhan hospitals and some public areas, they found that fragments of the virus can indeed stay airborne in droplets — in some places more than others. Specifically, they found particles of viral RNA (the genetic material of the virus) in these droplets. Notably, there’s no evidence yet that these viral RNA particles can cause a Covid-19 infection.
Between February 17 and March 2, they collected 30 samples by setting up “aerosol traps” — gelatin filters for catching tiny particles in the air — in specific areas of two Wuhan hospitals, including patient wards, patient toilets, and the rooms where staff take off protective equipment. They also sampled the air in public zones in Wuhan, like the areas outside grocery stores, residential buildings, pharmacies, and…
