Experimental study finds how coronavirus can spread while speaking

Based on experiments and simulations, researchers have found that air emitted during plosive speech sounds — where a consonant (P, B, T, D, K and G) is produced by stopping the airflow using the lips, tongue tip or body followed by a sudden release of air — lead to significantly enhanced directed transport of the virus. When the speech contains a train of such puffs a continuous, turbulent, jet-like flow is formed and is capable of transporting air and droplets to over two metres in just 30 seconds.

September 24, 2020September 24, 2020

Over 12% of pregnant women presenting at 15 hospitals in Maharashtra infected with coronavirus

Of the 1,140 pregnant women presenting at 15 hospitals in Maharashtra, 141 were found to be infected with novel coronavirus, translating to 12.3% prevalence. Pooled data of 141 pregnant women and 180 women from Nair Hospital in Mumbai revealed that only 11.5% of those infected showed symptoms, while the remaining 88.5% were asymptomatic.

September 22, 2020September 22, 2020

Confusion reigns as CDC takes down guidance that confirmed aerosol transmission

A draft of the proposed changes to its recommendations, which was later withdrawn pending finalisation, the CDC confirmed that airborne particles can spread even by breathing, remain suspended in air and be inhaled and spread beyond six feet in certain enclosed settings.

September 21, 2020September 22, 2020

CDC says revised guidance on coronavirus spread ‘posted in error’, removes it

On September 21, CDC removed the revised coronavirus spread guidance that acknowledged airborne transmission through aerosols, saying it was “posted in error”. The revised guidance posted three days ago stated that particles carrying the virus can remain suspended in air and spread to distances beyond six feet and is the “main way” the virus spreads.

September 21, 2020September 22, 2020

Finally, CDC acknowledges aerosol as the ‘main way’ of coronavirus spread

On September 18, CDC revised its guidelines to acknowledge that the “main way” the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) spreads is through aerosols. It also for the first time mentions that virus can spread through breathing, stay suspended in air and travel to distances beyond six feet.

September 20, 2020September 21, 2020

Duration of protection against SARS-CoV-2 may be short

A study that monitored 10 healthy individuals for more than 35 years revealed that reinfection with the same seasonal coronavirus occurred frequently at 12 months after infection. This suggests that the duration of protection against SARS-CoV-2 reinfection too may not be long.

September 20, 2020

Tracking coronavirus cases through sewage sample analysis

Analysis of sewage sludge for a period of 10 weeks in the New Haven, Connecticut metropolitan area in the U.S. during the COVID-19 outbreak period March 19-June 1 helped know the swing in coronavirus cases up to two days before samples could be collected, one-four days before hospital admissions and six-eight days before positive results were reported.

September 12, 2020September 12, 2020

Can universal masking be a crude ‘vaccine’?

Universal mask wearing decreases the chance of infection and, if infected, decreases the amount of virus particles (inoculum) a mask-wearer is exposed to thus causing only asymptomatic infection or mild COVID-19 disease.