Coronavirus spreads through the air and lingers in rooms long after patients have left, claims study
The deadly novel coronavirus can spread through the air and can remain contagious for hours, a study has suggested. Scientists in the United States reportedly found high levels of the virus in the air in rooms long after patients had left the area.
The study, conducted by the University of Nebraska researchers, also found that traces of the novel coronavirus were also discovered in hospital corridors outside patients' rooms where staff had been coming in and out.
The researchers, through their findings, have highlighted the importance of protective clothing for healthcare workers who work closely with coronavirus patients.
Considering the highly contagious nature of the virus, scientists across the globe have been scrambling to understand it, which has infected more than 788,000 people across the world and has claimed nearly 38,000 lives at the time of writing this report.
Multiple studies have been conducted to suggest that the virus does not just spread through droplets in a cough or sneeze and can even linger on surfaces.
The researchers, in the latest study, took samples from at least 11 patients' rooms after they had been placed in isolation following a diagnosis, and found that viral particles were present in both the air inside the rooms and in the hallways outside the rooms.
The findings of the study suggest that people could contract the infection, known as COVID-19, without ever being in direct close proximity of an infected person, the Daily Mail reported.
There has been reported shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), particularly for the use of healthcare workers in multiple countries, including the US and the UK.
Shortages of the PPE have forced some staff in these countries to resort to purchasing their own variation of protective gear from DIY stores, with some healthcare workers in the US even resorting to wearing garbage bags to protect themselves.
"Our team was already taking airborne precautions with the initial patients we cared for," the lead author of the study, James Lawler, an infectious disease expert at the Nebraska University, in a statement, said.
"This report reinforces our suspicions. It's why we have maintained COVID patients in rooms equipped with negative airflow and will continue to make efforts to do so - even with an increase in the number of patients."
"Our healthcare workers providing care will be equipped with the appropriate level of personal protective equipment. Obviously, more research is required to be able to characterize environmental risk," he said.
According to the study, researchers also found traces of the novel coronavirus on commonly used items like toilets, adding to previous studies conducted on the issue.
In the wake of these studies, the chief medical officer in England warned that people can get infected after touching any contaminated surface and then touching their face.
Dame Donna Kinnair, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), on March 30, had slammed the "unacceptable" levels of masks, gloves, and aprons in some hospitals and care homes at a time when others are left without any protective equipment. NHS whistleblowers recently revealed that they have been "hiding" safety equipment for their next shifts and others have gone off sick, fearing they will fall ill.