How can the spread of corona be minimized? Researchers from Leipzig and New Delhi have now gained new, important findings - they are particularly important for autumn.
- Aerosols play a crucial role in the transmission of the coronavirus .
- However , according to a German-Indian research team , the humidity should not be underestimated either.
- The results are particularly relevant for autumn and winter.
- Here you will find the basic facts about the corona virus * as well as the corona news from Germany. We also offer you the current number of cases in Germany on a map .
Leipzig - There is currently hardly any research into a topic as intensively as the corona virus . Sars-CoV-2 is omnipresent in science. When can a vaccine * be developed and how can the spread be contained? So-called aerosols have recently been mentioned more and more frequently as a risk of infection . This mixture of tiny particles in the air - defined as droplet nuclei smaller than five microns - appears to pose a serious corona hazard. A research team from Leipzig and India has now been able to gain new insights into this.
Corona research: Humidity as a problem - the lower, the more dangerous
According to his research, the spread of the coronavirus is also influenced by humidity : "If the relative humidity of the room air is below 40 percent, the particles emitted by infected people absorb less water, remain lighter, fly further through the room and are more likely to be inhaled by healthy people “, Explained Ajit Ahlawat from the Institute for Tropospheric Research (Tropos) in Leipzig on Thursday (August 20th). The lower the humidity , the more likely corona transmission is .
The team of physicists from Tropos and the CSIR-National Physical Laboratory in New Delhi had ten international studies that examined the influence of humidity on survival, the spread and infection with the pathogens of the flu and various coronaviruses between 2007 and 2020, evaluated. The results were published in the journal “Aerosol and Air Quality Research”.
TROPOS-Institut #Leipzig: Low #humidity in rooms promotes # Corona transmission https://t.co/JfycvGCCBA / via @mdrde / # Covid_19 # COVID19 #coronavirus @LeibnizWGL # SARSCoV2 # SARS_CoV_2 #maskeauf #Aer # Air quality
- TROPOS (@TROPOS_de) August 20, 2020Corona research: New results from Germany - "That could promote the spread of viruses"
On the basis of the results, the researchers come to an adapted recommendation for the measures that have been customary up to now. In addition to keeping your distance and wearing a mask , the room air should also be controlled. A relative humidity of 40 to 60 percent could reduce the spread of viruses and their absorption through the nasal mucosa, while a lower humidity could be problematic.
The findings are particularly important for the coming winter season, when people spend more time in heated rooms. “Heating the fresh air also ensures that it dries. In cold and temperate climates, there is usually a very dry indoor climate during the heating season. This could promote the spread of the coronavirus , ”said Alfred Wiedensohler from Tropos . At higher humidity , the droplets would grow faster, fall to the ground earlier and could not be inhaled by healthy people.
The current corona numbers in Germany (source: RKI, as of August 20, 12 a.m.)
Confirmed Cases: 228,621
Plus compared to the previous day: 1,707
Deaths: 9,253 (+10)
Recovered: 204,800 (estimated)
Corona research: "That would not only reduce the corona effects, but also those of the flu"
In autumn and winter, a second corona wave does not seem to be ruled out, also because of the upcoming flu season. But classic influenza could also be counteracted with a view to the humidity: “A humidity of at least 40 percent in public buildings and in local transport would therefore not only reduce the effects of Covid-19 , but also those of other viral diseases such as seasonal flu "Said Sumit Kumar Mishra from the National Physical Laboratory in New Delhi. (as / dpa) * Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen digital editorial network
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