Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is the dominant route of transmission: droplets and aerosols

• Published in: Le infezioni in medicina Vol. 29; no. 1; p. 10
• Main Authors: Rabaan, Ali A, Al-Ahmed, Shamsah H, Al-Malkey, Maysaa, Alsubki, Roua, Ezzikouri, Sayeh, Al-Hababi, Fadel Hassan, Sah, Ranjit, Al Mutair, Abbas, Alhumaid, Saad, Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A, Al-Omari, Awad, Al-Qaaneh, Ayman M, Al-Qahtani, Manaf, Tirupathi, Raghavendra, Al Hamad, Mohammad A, Al-Baghli, Nadira A, Sulaiman, Tarek, Alsubait, Arwa, Mehta, Rachana, Abass, Elfadil, Alawi, Maha, Alshahrani, Fatimah, Shrestha, Dhan Bahadur, Karobari, Mohmed Isaqali, Pecho-Silva, Samuel, Arteaga-Livias, Kovy, Bonilla-Aldana, D Katterine, Rodriguez-Morales, Alfonso J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Italy 01-03-2021
• Subjects: Air Microbiology; Basic Reproduction Number - statistics & numerical data; Cough - virology; COVID-19 - prevention & control; COVID-19 - transmission; Environmental Exposure; Humans; Masks; SARS-CoV-2; Sneezing
• ISSN: 1124-9390

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a pandemic worldwide. On a daily basis the number of deaths associated with COVID-19 is rapidly increasing. The main transmission route of SARS-CoV-2 is through the air (airborne transmission). This review details the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the aerodynamics, and different modes of transmission (e.g. droplets, droplet nuclei, and aerosol particles). SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted by an infected person during activities such as expiration, coughing, sneezing, and talking. During such activities and some medical procedures, aerosols and droplets contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 particles are formed. Depending on their sizes and the environmental conditions, such particles stay viable in the air for varying time periods and can cause infection in a susceptible host. Very few studies have been conducted to establish the mechanism or the aerodynamics of virus-loaded particles and droplets in causing infection. In this review we discuss the various forms in which SARS-CoV-2 virus particles can be transmitted in air and cause infections.