SARS-CoV-2 and aerosols-Arguing over the evidence

Abstract

This Commentary discusses various aspects around the controversial issue of SARSCoV-2 and aerosol transmission, highlighting certain counter arguments and explaining why they are invalid.

Keywords: Aerosol; Airborne infection control; Coronavirus disease 2019; Covid-19; Epidemiology; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2; Transmission.

Fig. 1

A schlieren image of two people talking approximately 1 m apart (adapted and annotated by the author, from reference (Tang et al. (2011))). Note the exhaled airflows produced by both individuals (indicated by dotted red lines), which quickly move across the gap between them, can be inhaled by the opposing individual. Essentially: ‘If I can smell the garlic on your breath, then I must be inhaling some of your exhaled air – and any viruses carried within it’. Full schlieren/shadowgraph videos of talking breathing, coughing, sneezing, laughing and singing are available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaYcjyU6XT8&list=PL8pE_CuHoXJXZExcWwk_0tsqjT2Ydwsxg&index=1.