Can the coronavirus travel more than 6 feet in the air?

TERRY SATER REPORTS. >> DAY FIVE, SURGICAL MASK, TRIAL ONE. TERRY: DUKE UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS TESTED A VARIETY OF MASKS, USING A LASER TO SHOW THE DISEASE PARTICLES SPREAD BY PEOPLE, EVEN DURING NORMAL CONVERSATION. >> BY COUNTING THE LIGHT FLASHES , YOU GET AN IDEA OF HOW MANY DROPLETS YOU EMIT. TERRY: WE WANT TO DEMO -- TO KNOW WHICH MASKS YOU SHOULDN’T BUY. DR. WESTMAN: IF IT IS A ONE LAYER, SPANDEX, POLYESTER, STRETCHY FABRIC THAT YOU CAN BREATHE EASILY THROUGH AND BLOW OUT A CANDLE THROUGH IT, THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE PROTECTING VERY WELL. TERRY: RESEARCHERS TESTED 14 COMMONLY AVAILABLE MASKS. AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT, THICKER MASKS WORKED BETTE DR. WESTMAN: THE COTTON MASK, FOR EXAMPLE. WE TESTED A RANGE OF COTTON MASKS, JUST A COUPLE OF THAT WE HAD. THEY BLOCKED ABOUT 80% OF THE DROPLETS, WHICH OF COURSE IS PERFECTLY FINE FOR EVERY DAY USE. TERRY: RESEARCHERS SAY ONE OF THE MAJOR FINDINGS OF THE STUDY REVEALED THAT, OTHER THAN A SINGLE LAYER GAITER LIKE THIS, JUST ABOUT ANY MASK IS BETTER THAN NO MASK. BUT THE SINGLE LAYER FABRIC NECK GAITER THEY TESTED PROVED SURPRISINGLY BAD >> THAT SPECIFIC MASK WE ACTUALLY SAW WHAT SEEMED TO BE AN INCREASE IN THE PARTICLE NUMBERS. TERRY: THE SINGLE LAYER OF FABRIC EMITTED SMALLER PARTICLES, WHICH STAYED IN THE AIR LONGER, POTENTIALLY SPREADING MORE CORONAVIRUS. DR. FISCHER: THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHER GAITERS OUT THERE. THERE ARE SOME THAT HAVE THICKER MATERIAL. IF YOU DOUBLE THEM UP, IF YOU FOLD THEM OVER YOU HAVE MORE LAYERS. OR MAYBE YOU WEAR TWO OF THOSE GATORS. TERRY: RESEARCHERS SAY MORE EXTENSIVE TESTING NEEDS TO BE DONE. TERRY SATER, WISN 12 NEW JOYCE: THE DUKE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH SHOWED THE PROFESSION

Video above: Researchers test 14 masks to find best & worstCan the coronavirus travel more than 6 feet in the air?Research indicates it can, but it’s not clear how much of the pandemic is caused by such cases.People spray liquid droplets of various sizes when they cough, sneeze, talk, sing, shout and even just breathe. The coronavirus can hitchhike on these particles.The advice about staying at least 6 feet apart is based on the idea that the larger particles drop to the ground before getting very far.But some scientists have also focused on tinier particles called aerosols. These can linger in the air for minutes to hours, and spread through a room and build up in concentration if ventilation is poor, posing a potential risk of infection if inhaled.For aerosols, “6 feet is not a magic distance” and keeping even farther apart is better, says Linsey Marr, who researches airborne transmission of infectious diseases at Virginia Tech.Some scientists say there’s enough evidence about aerosols and the virus to take protective measures. In addition to the usual advice, they stress the need for ventilation and air-purifying systems when indoors. Even better, they say, is to stay outdoors when interacting with others.

Video above: Researchers test 14 masks to find best & worst

Can the coronavirus travel more than 6 feet in the air?

Research indicates it can, but it’s not clear how much of the pandemic is caused by such cases.

People spray liquid droplets of various sizes when they cough, sneeze, talk, sing, shout and even just breathe. The coronavirus can hitchhike on these particles.

The advice about staying at least 6 feet apart is based on the idea that the larger particles drop to the ground before getting very far.

But some scientists have also focused on tinier particles called aerosols. These can linger in the air for minutes to hours, and spread through a room and build up in concentration if ventilation is poor, posing a potential risk of infection if inhaled.

For aerosols, “6 feet is not a magic distance” and keeping even farther apart is better, says Linsey Marr, who researches airborne transmission of infectious diseases at Virginia Tech.

Some scientists say there’s enough evidence about aerosols and the virus to take protective measures. In addition to the usual advice, they stress the need for ventilation and air-purifying systems when indoors. Even better, they say, is to stay outdoors when interacting with others.

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