keeping your distance helps – Wel.nl

The coronavirus loses 90% of its ability to infect us in the air in five minutes. About that writes the British newspaper The Guardian.

This is clear from the first study with simulations of how the virus survives when it is expired. The results underscore the importance of keeping the distance and usefulness of face masks. On closer inspection, the ventilation seems less important.

Ventilation
“People have made a point of poorly ventilated rooms, believing that the virus spreads several feet in a room. I’m not saying it can’t, but I think you have the best chance of it. ‘be exposed if you are close to someone, “says Professor Jonathan Reid, director of Aerosol Research Center from the University of Bristol. “If you are further away from someone, not only are the aerosols diluted, but the virus has become less effective.”

The study found that the virus is 50% less contagious in 10 seconds, when the air is dry, that is, with humidity below 50%, as in many offices. At 90 percent humidity, such as in a shower, for example, the virus persists longer. After five minutes, it was still half the contagiousness.

Warm weather
Surprisingly, the air temperature made no difference to infectivity. So the popular idea that the virus loses strength in hot weather does not hold water.

“The greatest chance is that you get infected from your friends in the pub and probably not from someone on the other side of the pub,” concludes Reid. He emphasizes the importance of face masks in places where it is impossible to keep the distance.