Coronavirus Lingers in Air of Crowded Spaces, New Study Finds

[Mike 03]

Bloomberg Law
Marthe Fourcade
April 27, 2020, 5:21 AM

The new coronavirus appears to linger in the air in crowded spaces or rooms that lack ventilation, researchers found in a study that buttresses the notion that Covid-19 can spread through tiny airborne particles known as aerosols.

At two hospitals in Wuhan, China, researchers found bits of the virus’s genetic material floating in the air of hospital toilets, an indoor space housing large crowds, and rooms where medical staff take off protective gear. The study, published Monday in the journal Nature Research, didn’t seek to establish whether the airborne particles could cause infections.

The question of how readily the new virus can spread through the air has been a matter of debate. The World Health Organization has said the risk is limited to specific circumstances, pointing to an analysis of more than 75,000 cases in China in which no airborne transmission was reported.

But as the virus fans across the globe and infections near 3 million, scientists are trying to understand exactly how contamination occurs.

More at link: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/coronavirus/coronavirus-lingers-in-air-of-crowded-spaces-new-study-finds

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. So some idiot governors have decided it's a good time

to reopen places where people get together in groups indoors but it's OK as long as they're 6' apart.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. Beaches at least are healthier than churches or sit-down restaurants. . . . nt

[crickets]

4. There's a debate going on about that.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-04-11/coronavirus-danger-california-beaches

https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/science-environment/environment-report-why-you-might-need-more-than-six-feet-of-space-at-the-beach/

[DrToast]

6. ?

I didn't see anything in there that would suggest outdoor beaches are more dangerous than indoor restaurants.

[crickets]

8. The point is that some people think beaches should be safe because

they're outdoors. I didn't mean to suggest they were more dangerous than indoors; just that it's not necessarily safer. The jury is still out on the actual level of danger.

[TheBlackAdder]

3. Any office space with forced air will blow it around. You need raised flooring and pull downward.

.

These units can no longer recirculate the air as it will blow COVID around.

It has to be intake and exhaust.

.

[MissB]

7. So large office buildings will remain empty for some time

I suppose since it’s hard to redo the air systems in those.

[Igel]

5. Ms. Fourcade needs to read her own article.

I'm assuming "Marthe" ~ "Martha".

It appears that the virus lingers in the air. This supports that COVID-19 actually is spread by aerosols.

"Bits of the virus's genetic material." It's like claiming that you're in danger of being killed by a pack of hounds because bits of hound are in the room with you. You need to show that there's at least one live hound, otherwise you're saying you're fatally allergic to dog dander. I'm seriously not going to be concerned and look for cow pats on the floor if I'm offered cow patties on my plate.

"Didn't seek to establish whether the airborne particles could cause infections." Meaning that it's completely irrelevant to the claim that COVID-19 can be spread through aerosols. "Buttress" must mean "offers no support" in Marthian.


If you've ever been in a filthy chicken coop you know that moving around in closed space with no ventilation gets a lot of stuff in the air that you don't want.

What's needed is to demonstrate what the purporter wants to get us to believe by random collocation of facts with unrelated claims. Whether or not aerosols of live virus really are capable of infection, and the dependency of infection rate on time of exposure, aerosol size, and aerosol concentration.