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Sing softly and don’t shout to reduce the risk of the spread of Covid-19, new research suggests, offering a silver lining to musicians who have been barred from performing in public.
Music makers have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with vocals, as well as the playing of wind and brass instruments seen as a high potential risk of the disease spreading – a concern fueled by outbreaks in the choirs.
As a result, only professional rehearsals and open-air performances were, until recently, permitted in England, and even then only with a series of precautions.
But the research offers hope for performers eager to return to the stage as soon as possible.
“It’s not about vocalization – whether it’s singing or talking – it’s about volume,” said Jonathan Reid, professor of physical chemistry at the University of Bristol and co-author of the research. “By singing a little more quietly, you really reduce the risk.”
In a study that has yet to be peer reviewed, the team reports how they asked 25 professional singers to breathe, talk, cough and sing through funnels. They then measured the mass of tiny airborne droplets, called aerosols, that were produced. The experiments were set up in an orthopedic operating theater, a setting chosen for its lack of background aerosols.
While one route by which Covid-19 spreads is via large droplets, largely produced when someone coughs and which fall to the ground a few feet away, Reid said aerosols were another possible route, noting that these tiny droplets can linger in the air.
The team found that the results of their study varied among participants, but at the lowest volume, singing and speaking generated an aerosol mass similar to that of breathing.
But when the team asked participants to recite Happy Birthday at different volumes, they found that the loudest song and speech – 90-100 dB – produced 36 and 24 times the mass of aerosols generated by breathing, respectively. .
“The volume of activity, whether it’s talking or singing softly or talking or singing loudly, is really the primary factor that governs the mass of aerosols that are generated,” Reid said. , adding that the song generates a slightly higher aerosol mass. than speaking, at least at high volume, the difference is very small compared to the volume effect.
Co-author Declan Costello, an ear, nose and throat surgeon at Wexham Park Hospital, noted that other factors, including the size of the space and ventilation and the duration of the strong vocalization, play an important role in the risk of potential infection.
In other words, singing in a cathedral could pose a lower risk of spreading Covid-19 than shouting in a crowded pub. “Intuitively that seems to be the case, assuming people are talking or singing at the same volume,” Costello said.
However, the research has limitations: it only measured aerosols produced by one individual at a time, without examining the amount of virus in the aerosol or the actual risk of infection posed by the levels of aerosol produced.
“This is a nice study, but not exactly representative of the true dynamics of the choir as a whole, which really requires further study to really assess the risk of vocalizations / synchronized vocal exhalations at such a high volume,” said Dr Julian Tang, Honorary Associate Professor of Respiratory Sciences. at the University of Leicester, which did not participate in the work.
The team say their findings have already contributed to new directions for England released on August 15 by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which co-supported the study.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “I know that singing is an important passion and hobby for many people who I am sure will join me in welcoming the conclusions of this important study. We have worked closely with medical experts throughout this crisis to develop our understanding of Covid-19, and we have now updated our advice in light of these findings so that people can start playing together again in completely safe.
John Gilhooly, Artistic Director and Executive of Wigmore Hall in London, said that “the music industry owes a huge debt to Declan Costello and his research colleagues who have done all of this work for free. This means that we can start to have bigger chamber groups on stage and we won’t have to lose the first six rows of seats for the audience.
Alex Beard, managing director of the Royal Opera House, said relaxing social distancing rules from 10 feet to 10 feet for singers and woodwind and brass players was “a big step forward” that would allow more of players performing together in the Deep Theater when the company resumes live events with a socially distant audience in October.
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