New Chinese Study Hints At Possibility Of Airborne Transmission For Covid-19

A while back, it was discovered that there has been a new strain of the Coronavirus, months after the pandemic first broke out.

For the record, the new variation is believed to be multiple times more infectious than the original one although it’s suspected that the symptoms will be less serious.

Yet, just when we thought that the worst was declared…

Another revelation has hit us like a truck.

Because apparently…

The Covid-19 coronavirus may just be transmittable in the air, a new research from China hinted.

New Chinese Study Hints At Possibility Of Airborne Transmission For Covid-19

According to The Straits Times, a person on a Chinese bus supposedly infected nearly two dozen other passengers with coronavirus, despite the notion that many weren’t actually close by.

This has led to an increasing suspicion that the pandemic might not be as ‘air-tight’ as it was previously speculated to be.

Now, lest you’re unaware, health authorities had initially dismissed the possibility that simply breathing could lead to the transmission of infectious micro-droplets in the air. But as evidence mounts, the possibility has, unfortunately, looked increasingly likely.

According to an article published in JAMA Internal Medicine, several passengers were on a 50-minute bus trip to the eastern Chinese city of Ningbo (aboard two buses) in January.

This was also before face masks became routine in the whole anti-pandemic fight.

Amongst the passengers, one was identified to likely be ‘patient zero’, as the person had been in contact with people from Wuhan.

23 of the 68 affiliated passengers were subsequently diagnosed as Covid-19 positive.

So What’s With The Airborne Thingy?

Apparently, the sickness infected people in the front and back of the bus, beyond the perimeter of 1-2 meters that authorities and experts claim infectious droplets can travel.

Additionally, the sick passenger was purportedly not displaying symptoms of the disease, like a cough, during the trip.

Researchers also noted that the air conditioning probably played a part, as it recirculated the air inside the bus.

All the signs have thus led to a hypothesis on the researchers’ part.

“The investigations suggest that in closed environments with air recirculation, Sars-CoV-2 is a highly transmissible pathogen,” they wrote, referring to the name of the virus.

“Our finding of potential airborne transmission has important public health significance.”

The aforementioned incident adds on to the evidence of airborne transmission; previously, researchers have attempted to find out how the virus spread between diners’ tables at a restaurant in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.

The 3Cs Of Rapid Covid-19 Transmission

Vice-dean of research at the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (SSHSPH), Associate Professor Alex Cook, however, had a rather different stance on the situation.

While he concedes that the study does provide further evidence to support aerosol-based transmission, he said that it “doesn’t say anything about the relative importance of droplet versus aerosol transmission, which is one of the big questions we have now”.

“It seems that the bus was poorly ventilated with recirculating warm air, because it was still winter and awareness of the emergence of the pandemic was low, and neither the index case nor the other passengers wore masks. The cluster demonstrates the importance of wearing masks in public, especially on public transport, and ensuring adequate ventilation,” Prof Cook noted.

SSHSPH dean, Professor Teo Yik Ying, has since expressed that the report comes as no real surprise. Apparently, super spreading events are driven by the 3Cs: closed-off environment with poor ventilation, crowded spaces and close-contact settings.

The bus incident just so happens to tick all three.

“The bus would have hit the 3Cs if it was crowded,” said Prof Teo.

“This incident is exactly the reason why we continue to highlight to the public that if they do not feel well, they really should not be travelling outside except to see a doctor; and also the reason why we continue to remind people on the importance of mask-wearing and personal hygiene.”

And So… Now What?

Now you might be wondering;

What now?

“Do we have to stay away from public places altogether?”

“Stand at least a kilometre away from each other?”

“Ditch public transport altogether and start using your own legs?”

Well, rest assured; all those are fine… for now.

See, in the aforementioned bus incident, it should be noted that it came before face masks were a thing. So in all honesty, the super spreading incident could probably have been curbed had everyone been equipped with a face mask.

Though of course, there’s also the alleged notion that the ‘patient zero’ in question did not actually exhibit any symptoms. Which does prove dubious, and paves the way for more thorough research.

Perhaps the worst, as we previously thought, has actually yet to come.

Though for the sake of everyone, we hope that it’ll be mere speculation.

With that said, please do remember to practice all the necessary hygiene protocols. Although the situation might be contained (over here in Singapore), it should be noted that the Covid-19 seems to be an evolving species.

And we do not know when a mere lapse in judgement, could potentially lead to our downfall.