Thursday, August 11, 2022
Khmer Daily Cambodia News
34 °c
Phnom Penh
  • LATEST
  • CAMBODIA
  • ASIA
    • JAPAN
    • SOUTH KOREA
    • TAIWAN
  • WORLD
    • CHINA
    • RUSSIA
  • BUSINESS CAMBODIA
  • TECHNOLOGY
No Result
View All Result
  • LATEST
  • CAMBODIA
  • ASIA
    • JAPAN
    • SOUTH KOREA
    • TAIWAN
  • WORLD
    • CHINA
    • RUSSIA
  • BUSINESS CAMBODIA
  • TECHNOLOGY
No Result
View All Result
The Khmer Daily
No Result
View All Result
Home World

Scientists warn coronavirus can travel through the air for ‘tens of metres’ indoors

July 9, 2020
in Health, World
0
Scientists warn coronavirus can travel through the air for ‘tens of metres’ indoors
0
SHARES
11
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Tiny droplets carrying the coronavirus can travel for “tens of metres” indoors, according to scientists who warned the current safety advice from public health bodies like the World Health Organisation does not go far enough.

Most guidelines focus on the risks from respiratory droplets – for instance those spread by coughing – and close contact, but the scientists said there was also a danger from smaller droplets that can linger in the air and are capable of travelling much further than the 1-2 metres (3-6ft) that current social distancing guidelines recommend.

The scientists also warned there was a particular risk of the virus spreading indoors, particularly in crowded or inadequately ventilated rooms, saying: “At typical indoor air velocities, a 5-micrometre droplet will travel tens of metres, much greater than the scale of a typical room.”

The warning comes as governments around the world are struggling to find a balance between containing the disease and reopening businesses such as restaurants, shops and cinemas.

The letter was signed by 239 scientists from more than 30 countries – specialising in everything from virology and epidemiology to building engineering – and was published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases on Monday.

The World Health Organisation’s current advice recommends regular and thorough hand washing with an alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water and keeping at least a metre away from others.

It also says people should avoid going to crowded places and touching the eyes, nose and mouth.

But the scientists warned: “People may think that they are fully protected by adhering to the current recommendations, but in fact, additional airborne interventions are needed for further reduction of infection risk.”

More than 11.5 million people globally have been infected by Covid-19 while nearly 540,000 have died from the disease, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

The scientists said the current safety advice was “insufficient to provide protection from virus-carrying respiratory microdroplets released into the air by infected people”.

Droplets that are just 5 micrometres or less in diameter – around half the size of the larger respiratory droplets that can infect at a closer range – are known to spread other viral diseases.

The letter said: “There is every reason to expect that Sars-CoV-2

Guy Marks, a professor of respiratory medicine at the University of New South Wales, said: “The smaller [the particles emanating from the respiratory tract] are, the more likely they are to remain airborne and travel long distances.

“If they are small and remain airborne for a long period, they can be breathed in by others.”

Marks, who was one of the co-authors of the letter, said larger particles were more likely to fall to the ground nearby and were less likely to be inhaled, but they could still contaminate surfaces and infect people who touched them.

He continued that recognising the greater risk of airborne infection should mean a greater focus on ensuring that indoor spaces were adequately ventilated to reduce the risk of transmission.

This article was first published in Asia One . All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources.

Tags: #coronavirus#COVID-19#scientific research
Previous Post

Scientists warn of potential wave of Covid-linked brain damage

Next Post

National Bank of Cambodia say Cambodia banking sector continues with confident growth in first half of 2020

Related Posts

US cannot allow China’s ‘new normal’ over Taiwan: Speaker Nancy Pelosi

US cannot allow China’s ‘new normal’ over Taiwan: Speaker Nancy Pelosi

by AsiaOne
August 11, 2022
0
10

WASHINGTON – House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday (Aug 10) the US could not allow China to normalise...

South Korea, China foreign ministers discuss North Korea, K-pop ban

South Korea, China foreign ministers discuss North Korea, K-pop ban

by AsiaOne
August 11, 2022
0
4

SEOUL - The foreign ministers of South Korea and China held talks on Tuesday (Aug 9) as Seoul explores ways to...

New York company raises over $120k to make action figure of Ukraine’s Zelenskiy

New York company raises over $120k to make action figure of Ukraine’s Zelenskiy

by AsiaOne
August 11, 2022
0
8

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has been fighting a Russian invasion since February, is being made into an action figure...

Most Popular

Taiwan’s Premier Su Tseng-chang calls China’s Covid-19 lockdowns ‘cruel’

Taiwan’s Premier Su Tseng-chang calls China’s Covid-19 lockdowns ‘cruel’

May 2, 2022
518
China, North Korea halt border rail crossing over Covid-19 fears

China, North Korea halt border rail crossing over Covid-19 fears

May 2, 2022
519
Thai police search for missing monkeypox patient in Phuket

Thai police search for missing monkeypox patient in Phuket

July 23, 2022
38
Thaicom-CAT tie-up for low earth orbit satellite services for Cambodia and other countries

Thaicom-CAT tie-up for low earth orbit satellite services for Cambodia and other countries

July 14, 2020
165
7.2% Inflation in May records decade’s highest inflation in Cambodia

7.2% Inflation in May records decade’s highest inflation in Cambodia

July 21, 2022
30
Is Yuzuru Hanyu about to retire? Japanese figure skating icon to hold news conference

Is Yuzuru Hanyu about to retire? Japanese figure skating icon to hold news conference

July 19, 2022
28

© 2020 By Khmer Daily News

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Latest
  • Cambodia
  • ASIA
  • World
  • Business
  • Tech

© 2019 The Khmer Daily.

error: Content is protected !!