Can we migrate COVID-19 spreading risk?
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Can we migrate COVID-19 spreading risk? Qingyan Chen (✉) School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
© Higher Education Press 2020
Abstract It is well recognized that Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus could be spread through touch and large droplets. However, we may have under-estimated the disease transmission by small droplets or aerosols that contain SARS-CoV-2 virus. Social distancing in public transport vehicles, such as airplanes, is not feasible. It is also not possible to wear masks in restaurant. This paper recommended wearing masks in airplanes and use partition screens in the middle of a table in a restaurant to reduce the infection caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus. Advanced ventilation systems, such as personalized ventilation and displacement ventilation, are strongly recommended for transport vehicles and buildings. Keywords Partitions*
Airborne transmission, Ventilation, Masks,
COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2 has infected over four million people and has taken 280000 lives as of May 9, 2020. The pandemic has also halt the economy in the world. Everyone is seeking advice how to have a new normal life. This short article is to assist the public in protecting themselves in the new normal life by proposing a few measures in transport vehicles and buildings. We started in 2004 studying airborne infectious disease transmission through the FAA Center of Excellence for Airliner Cabin Environment Research (ACER) under congressional mandate through public law 108-76. The author, Qingyan Chen, served as a co-founding principal director for ACER from 2004 to 2010. ACER consisted of a group of professionals representing different disciplines, such as mechanical engineers, public health scientists, chemists, materials engineers, environmental engineers, and electrical engineers. One of the key research projects Received May 9, 2020 E-mail: [email protected] Special Issue—Bioaerosol, Environment and Health (Responsible Editors: Can Wang, Jungho Hwang, Jingkun Jiang & Maosheng Yao)
was “Infectious Disease Transmission in Airliner Cabins” led by Chen (Chen et al., 2012). Given the experience and expertise, Chen has become a go-to source for commentary and advice by media in the past few weeks on how to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2, particularly on transport vehicles and buildings. Our work has been quoted by top-tier media such as Aljazeera, AP, BBC, Business Insider, BuzzFeed, Cheddar.tv, CNN, Fast Company, Forbes, Fox News, Los Angeles Times, Sydney Morning Herald, The Washington Post and USA Today. Our effort was to offer our thoughts on what all of us need to do to keep SARS-CoV-2 at bay. 1) Airborne spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus. Experts so far cannot agree if SARS-CoV-2 transmission could be airborne (Lewis, 2020), via small droplets or aerosols, although research has shown the risk. Early studies found that all the masks used by SARS-CoV-2 patients in some hospitals, contained SARS-CoV-2 virus. Recent study (Liu et al., 2020) found
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