Coronavirus spreads through air, lingers in rooms formerly occupied by patients — Study

The deadly coronavirus can spread through the air and remains contagious for hours, a study has found.

The study follows others that have suggested the highly contagious disease does not just spread via droplets in a cough or sneeze.

UK Dailymail reports that a group of researchers at the University of Nebraska, United States, who carried out the study on hospitals took samples from 11 patients’ rooms after they had been placed in isolation following a diagnosis.

They found viral particles lurking in the air inside the rooms long after patients had left.

They also discovered the traces of COVID-19 were in hospital corridors outside patients’ rooms, where staff had been coming in and out.

Their finding highlights the importance of protective equipment in hospitals to protect the frontline healthcare workers.

Though yet to be peer-reviewed by other scientists or published in a scientific journal, the study suggests people may be able to contract the bug without ever being in direct close proximity to an infected person.

The study’s authors said this highlights the importance of wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).

WHO had earlier raised concerns on global shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) which is putting health workers at the risk of the pandemic.

Scientists around the world are scrambling to understand the virus which has infected around 900,000 and killed thousands across the globe.

– Premium Times