But in the midst of this dark horizon, our desire is to return to normal. We like to see friends at a bar or invite them home for dinner; We want our broken companies to grow again as they did before the epidemic; We want our children to return to their routines in schools (we want them to participate directly) and in extracurricular activities. We want to get on the bus, sing in the choir, go back to the gym or dance at the disco without the fear of being caught by Kovid.

But how safe are these activities, and for how long? These are the questions we have tried to answer in our latest research Published in the journal Pierre Review Scientific Environmental Science & Technology.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes covid, is transmitted primarily through the air. Therefore, the main thing to avoid infection is to understand how these particles that propagate in the air work, which requires knowledge in physics and chemistry..

Air is a liquid made up of invisible molecules that move rapidly and randomly. Respiratory aerosols float in the sea of ​​these molecules, which contain the virus and scatter in interior spaces like cigarette smoke in a room or bus. An infected person can inhale aerosols containing the virus, and the closer we get to them, the more likely we are to inhale them. Also, the longer we sit in the same room, the more viruses we breathe. If we are outdoors, space is almost infinite, the virus will not work the same way, however if we talk to an infected person we can still get an infection.

An infected person can emit viral particles whenever they breathe, but they are especially abundant when breathing deeply (during exercise) or simultaneously with breathing (speaking or singing). A well-fitting mask reduces transmission because it reduces the number of viral particles it emits. An infected person who sits quietly in a corner without wearing a mask is less likely to infect us than someone else who walks up to us and starts a heated argument.

All variants of SARS-CoV-2 are airborne, but the likelihood of transmission of the virus depends on each variant’s infectiousness or contagion (Delta was more contagious than previous variants, but more omicron) as well as the number of people. Infected at a given time (spread of the disease). At the time of writing, 97% of Covid cases in the UK are in the omicron variant, and one in 15 citizens is infected (i.e. the prevalence is 6.7%). Although Omicron seems to be more contagious, it seems to cause more serious illness, especially among people who have been vaccinated. But the high speed of the epidemic will saturate the health system.

Risk of infection

In our study, we calculated how different transmission conditions differentiate the risk of infection: Viral factors (Transmissibility, diffusion), Individual factors (Wear / not wear a mask, exercise / relax, do some vocal activity / keep quiet) Air quality factors (Indoor / Outside, Large Rooms / Small Rooms, Crowded / Unoccupied, Ventilated / Ventilated)

To perform this calculation, we carefully analyzed empirical data on the number of people infected at supercontinent events, including the key parameters (Room size, number of people in it, ventilation level, Etc.) Well documented and then we represented how this transmission occurred through a mathematical model.

Graphs provide a percentage of the risk of contracting the disease in different situations.

One way to facilitate the spread of Kovid is to do several things that appear in the red cells in the list, including:

Meet a lot of people in closed areas with bad air quality, such as gyms, nightclubs or school classes with poor ventilation.

– Do something tiring or disturbing, such as playing sports, singing, or screaming.

– Do not wear a mask.

– Stay in one place for a long time.

Also, try to avoid things that appear in green or amber cells:

-If you have to meet other people, do it outdoors or in a well-ventilated place or indoors where ventilation is good and air quality is known.

-Reduce the number of people you meet.

– Stay together for the shortest time required.

– Do not shout, sing or exercise vigorously indoors.

-Wear good quality and well-fitting masks from the moment you enter a building until you leave.

Although the graph gives an approximate probability for each situation, the actual risk will depend on specific parameters such as how many people are in the room or how large the room is.

Article originally published by Dialogue- Trish Greenhall, Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences at Oxford University; Jose-Louis Jimenez, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and a member of CIRES at Boulder University, Colorado; Shelley Miller, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Boulder University, Colorado; She Peng, a research scientist at Boulder University in Colorado

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