Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is the dominant route of transmission: droplets and aerosols

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a pandemic worldwide. On a daily basis the number of deaths associated with COVID-19 is rapidly increasing. The main transmission route of SARS-CoV-2 is through the air (airborne tra...

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Published in:Le infezioni in medicina 2021-03, Vol.29 (1), p.10
Main Authors: Rabaan, Ali A, Al-Ahmed, Shamsah H, Al-Malkey, Maysaa, Alsubki, Roua, Ezzikouri, Sayeh, Al-Hababi, Fadel Hassan, Sah, Ranjit, Al Mutair, Abbas, Alhumaid, Saad, Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A, Al-Omari, Awad, Al-Qaaneh, Ayman M, Al-Qahtani, Manaf, Tirupathi, Raghavendra, Al Hamad, Mohammad A, Al-Baghli, Nadira A, Sulaiman, Tarek, Alsubait, Arwa, Mehta, Rachana, Abass, Elfadil, Alawi, Maha, Alshahrani, Fatimah, Shrestha, Dhan Bahadur, Karobari, Mohmed Isaqali, Pecho-Silva, Samuel, Arteaga-Livias, Kovy, Bonilla-Aldana, D Katterine, Rodriguez-Morales, Alfonso J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air Microbiology
Basic Reproduction Number - statistics & numerical data
Cough - virology
COVID-19 - prevention & control
COVID-19 - transmission
Environmental Exposure
Humans
Masks
SARS-CoV-2
Sneezing
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Summary:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a pandemic worldwide. On a daily basis the number of deaths associated with COVID-19 is rapidly increasing. The main transmission route of SARS-CoV-2 is through the air (airborne transmission). This review details the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the aerodynamics, and different modes of transmission (e.g. droplets, droplet nuclei, and aerosol particles). SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted by an infected person during activities such as expiration, coughing, sneezing, and talking. During such activities and some medical procedures, aerosols and droplets contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 particles are formed. Depending on their sizes and the environmental conditions, such particles stay viable in the air for varying time periods and can cause infection in a susceptible host. Very few studies have been conducted to establish the mechanism or the aerodynamics of virus-loaded particles and droplets in causing infection. In this review we discuss the various forms in which SARS-CoV-2 virus particles can be transmitted in air and cause infections.
ISSN:1124-9390