Airborne dispersion of droplets during coughing: a physical model of viral transmission

Abstract The Covid-19 pandemic has focused attention on airborne transmission of viruses. Using realistic air flow simulation, we model droplet dispersion from coughing and study the transmission risk related to SARS-CoV-2. Although this model defines most airborne droplets as 8–16 µm in diameter, w...

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Autores principales:	Hongying Li, Fong Yew Leong, George Xu, Chang Wei Kang, Keng Hui Lim, Ban Hock Tan, Chian Min Loo
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/0bed1e2da98243e5b3f4739bfdcef56a
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id	oai:doaj.org-article:0bed1e2da98243e5b3f4739bfdcef56a
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:0bed1e2da98243e5b3f4739bfdcef56a2021-12-02T11:35:41ZAirborne dispersion of droplets during coughing: a physical model of viral transmission10.1038/s41598-021-84245-22045-2322https://doaj.org/article/0bed1e2da98243e5b3f4739bfdcef56a2021-02-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-84245-2https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract The Covid-19 pandemic has focused attention on airborne transmission of viruses. Using realistic air flow simulation, we model droplet dispersion from coughing and study the transmission risk related to SARS-CoV-2. Although this model defines most airborne droplets as 8–16 µm in diameter, we infer that larger droplets of 32–40 µm in diameter may potentially be more infectious due to higher viral content. Use of face masks is therefore recommended for both personal and social protection. We found social distancing effective at reducing transmission potential across all droplet sizes. However, the presence of a human body 1 m away modifies the aerodynamics so that downstream droplet dispersion is enhanced, which has implications on safe distancing in queues. At 1 m distance, we found that an average of 0.55 viral copies is inhaled for a cough at median loading, scalable up to 340 copies at peak loading. Droplet evaporation results in significant reduction in droplet counts, but airborne transmission remains possible even under low humidity conditions.Hongying LiFong Yew LeongGeorge XuChang Wei KangKeng Hui LimBan Hock TanChian Min LooNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Hongying Li Fong Yew Leong George Xu Chang Wei Kang Keng Hui Lim Ban Hock Tan Chian Min Loo Airborne dispersion of droplets during coughing: a physical model of viral transmission
description	Abstract The Covid-19 pandemic has focused attention on airborne transmission of viruses. Using realistic air flow simulation, we model droplet dispersion from coughing and study the transmission risk related to SARS-CoV-2. Although this model defines most airborne droplets as 8–16 µm in diameter, we infer that larger droplets of 32–40 µm in diameter may potentially be more infectious due to higher viral content. Use of face masks is therefore recommended for both personal and social protection. We found social distancing effective at reducing transmission potential across all droplet sizes. However, the presence of a human body 1 m away modifies the aerodynamics so that downstream droplet dispersion is enhanced, which has implications on safe distancing in queues. At 1 m distance, we found that an average of 0.55 viral copies is inhaled for a cough at median loading, scalable up to 340 copies at peak loading. Droplet evaporation results in significant reduction in droplet counts, but airborne transmission remains possible even under low humidity conditions.
format	article
author	Hongying Li Fong Yew Leong George Xu Chang Wei Kang Keng Hui Lim Ban Hock Tan Chian Min Loo
author_facet	Hongying Li Fong Yew Leong George Xu Chang Wei Kang Keng Hui Lim Ban Hock Tan Chian Min Loo
author_sort	Hongying Li
title	Airborne dispersion of droplets during coughing: a physical model of viral transmission
title_short	Airborne dispersion of droplets during coughing: a physical model of viral transmission
title_full	Airborne dispersion of droplets during coughing: a physical model of viral transmission
title_fullStr	Airborne dispersion of droplets during coughing: a physical model of viral transmission
title_full_unstemmed	Airborne dispersion of droplets during coughing: a physical model of viral transmission
title_sort	airborne dispersion of droplets during coughing: a physical model of viral transmission
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/0bed1e2da98243e5b3f4739bfdcef56a
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_version_	1718395802799308800

Airborne dispersion of droplets during coughing: a physical model of viral transmission

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