Bangladesh, open your windows!
No, you will not get COVID-19 by opening your windows and exposing yourself to outside air.
By now, we are all aware that SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19 may spread through air - airborne transmission. However, a great deal of confusion surrounds the term and what it entails. Does this mean it is always there, floating on air? Will I get COVID-19 if I open my windows or go to the rooftop? The short answer is, it is highly unlikely.
The WHO defines airborne transmission as "the spread of an infectious agent caused by the dissemination of droplet nuclei that remain infectious when suspended in air over long distances and time." [1]
When we sneeze or cough, we release respiratory particles. In an infected patient, these particles may contain the virus. A droplet nuclei is such a respiratory particle which is less than 5 micrometres in diameter. For comparison, that is approximately 12 times smaller than the average width of a hair.
These particles can remain in the air and travel distances of over 1 meter. However, there is a catch to it. In the study conducted to investigate the transmission, it was found that the virus transmitted at a distance greater than 1 meter at a restaurant, with strong airflow from the air conditioner propagating the droplets. [2]
The maximum distance traveled by the particle is recorded to be 4 meters (13.1 feet). However, this was in a hospital setting where the WHO warns “ airborne transmission may be possible in specific circumstances and settings in which procedures or support treatments that generate aerosols are performed” [3] which includes endotracheal intubation, bronchoscopy, open suctioning and other medical procedures.
No evidence suggests that these particles travel long distances in a day-to-day setting.
Even the duration of the viral particle in air, remaining viable for upto 3 hours as reported in a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, was conducted using a three-jet Collison nebulizer for aerosol generation and fed into a Goldberg drum under controlled laboratory . conditions. [4] To put it simply, it was produced by a high-performance machine and does not reflect a regular setting.
To summarize, airborne transmission is quite relative in the case of COVID-19 and it is highly unlikely that all these scenarios and conditions will align in our environment to transmit the virus to us. General precaution must be taken but there is no reason to stay suffocated in your house, while in quarantine. Ventilation is necessary for maintaining good health and completely cutting off interactions with the outside world can be very detrimental to both physical and mental health. Don't hesitate to open your windows!
References
- https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/112656/9789241507134_eng.pdf?sequence=1
- Jianyun Lu1, Jieni Gu1, Kuibiao Li1, Conghui Xu1, Wenzhe Su, Zhisheng Lai, Deqian Zhou, Chao Yu, Bin Xu Comments to Author, and Zhicong. Author Affiliations: Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, China (J Lu, K Li, C. Xu, W. Su, C. Yu, Z. Yang); Guangzhou Yuexiu District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, China (J. Gu, Z. Lai, D. Zhou, B. Xu)
- https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/modes-of-transmission-of-virus-causing-covid-19-implications-for-ipc-precaution-recommendations
- van Doremalen, N. et al. Aerosol and surface stability of SARS-CoV-2 as compared with SARS-CoV-1. N. Engl. J. Med. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMc2004973 (2020).
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