A new simulation by Finnish researchers showing how far viruses spread when a single person coughs is a startling reminder as to why we should do our best to stay home.
The 3D model was published on Thursday, April 9, on Finland’s Aalto University YouTube channel and has already been viewed more than 750,000 times. In the minute-long video, a person coughs out aerosol particles in a corridor bounded by shelves, much like at a normal grocery or supermarket.
Within two minutes, the air-borne particles spread over to the adjacent corridor. The simulation takes into account normal indoor ventilation air conditions, and also show how high particles travel with a colour-coded representation.
Aerosol particles from a dry cough, which is a symptom of Covid-19, are less than 15 micrometers, so small that they drift through the air rather than sink to the floor.
“Someone infected by the coronavirus, can cough and walk away, but then leave behind extremely small aerosol particles carrying the coronavirus,” Ville Vuorinen, assistant professor at Aalto University, said in a statement. “These particles could then end up in the respiratory tract of others in the vicinity.”
The study, conducted by researchers from a number of Finnish universities, aims to find out how the coronavirus spreads through the air. “Preliminary results indicate that aerosol particles carrying the virus can remain in the air longer than was originally thought,” the statement by Aalto University reads. “So it is important to avoid busy public indoor spaces.”
