A research group led by Atsushi Mizukoshi, a lecturer at Kinki University School of Medicine, built a simulation model to estimate the risk of each infection route based on an actual case of a new coronavirus cluster occurring in an office.
According to Kindai University, the research group built a simulation model to predict the risk of each infection route, and calculated the risks of long-distance aerosol infection and contact infection.An analysis of cases where clusters occurred in large offices where everyone wore masks revealed that the main route of infection was long-distance aerosols, where aerosols travel 1 to 2 meters or more, which is longer than the distance of a conversation. It has become clear that this is highly possible.
It was also found that wearing masks by everyone in the office and increasing ventilation were effective in reducing the risk of infection, but it was also suggested that these measures alone cannot prevent long-distance aerosol infections.
The research group believes that in order to prevent long-distance aerosol transmission during the spread of infection, in addition to wearing masks and ventilation, refraining from going out if you have come into contact with an infected person or if you think you may have been infected, and avoiding contact with family members. It says comprehensive measures will be needed.
The new coronavirus infection is thought to be transmitted from person to person through droplets, contact, and aerosols.The possibility of long-distance aerosol transmission was pointed out, as infected people spread throughout the office in the office cluster.
Paper information:【Risk Analysis】A COVID-19 cluster analysis in an office: Assessing the long-range aerosol and fomite transmissions with infection control measures
