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Compared to people infected with the original form of the virus that causes COVID-19, those with a newer strain exhaled 43 to 100 times more in the air, indicating that the disease is progressing to be more airborne, according to a new study led by the University of Maryland.
The researchers also found that commonly used surgical tissues and masks roughly halve the amount of virus that enters the air around infected people. The study comparing the original form of SARS-CoV-2 to the Alpha variant, the dominant variant in the experiment, was published last week in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases..
“Our latest study provides further evidence of the importance of airborne transmission,” said Dr. Don Milton, professor of environmental health in the School of Public Health at UMD. “We know that the Delta variant that is currently circulating is even more contagious than the Alpha variant.”
Because research indicates successive variants continue to improve for air travel, better ventilation and well-fitting masks, in addition to vaccination, may help offset the increased risk, Milton said.
It wasn’t just that the test subjects had more virus in their bodies, the researchers said; Tests showed that the amount of virus in the air from people infected with the Alpha variant was 18-fold higher than what could be explained by the increased amounts of virus found in nasal swabs and saliva.
“We already knew that the virus in saliva and nasal swabs was increased in Alpha variant infections. The nose and mouth virus can be spread by large droplet sprays near an infected person. But our study shows that the virus in expired aerosols increases even more, ”said doctoral student Jianyu Lai, one of the lead authors.
To test whether the masks prevent transmission of the virus between people, the study measured the amount of SARS-CoV-2 inhaled into the air by infected people first without a mask, and then after putting on a cloth or cloth. surgical mask. The researchers found that the face covers reduced the amount by about 50%, but did not completely prevent the infectious virus from entering the air.
Assistant Clinical Professor Jennifer German, co-author, said: “Take-home messages from this article are that the coronavirus can be in your exhaled breath (and) getting better in your exhaled breath, and the use of a mask reduces the chance that you will breathe it on others.
A layered approach to control measures including improved ventilation, increased filtration, UV air sanitation and properly fitted masks, in addition to vaccination, is essential to protect people in public jobs and spaces. interiors, the researchers said.
The team also included researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Duke-NUS Medical School and Rice University.
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