The COVID-19 pandemic has created a public health crisis. Because SARS-CoV-2 can spread from individuals with presymptomatic, symptomatic, and asymptomatic infections, the reopening of societies and the control of virus spread will be facilitated by robust population screening, for which virus testing will often be central. After infection, individuals undergo a period of incubation during… Continue reading Science: Test sensitivity is secondary to frequency and turnaround time for COVID-19 screening

As the nation reopens after COVID-19 restrictions, people across the country are making decisions about going back to the office or putting their children back in classrooms. But how can you make the right call? We asked the experts how to improve indoor air quality, and what questions to ask your boss or school administrator.… Continue reading USA Today: Ventilation and air filtration play a key role in preventing the spread of COVID-19 indoors

In the early days of the pandemic, researchers proposed that the main route of SARS-CoV-2 transmission was either via large droplets that people exhaled in a projectile motion through coughs and sneezes or via surface contamination. Recent work, however, has uncovered that virus particles can also infect others via long-range spread. Behind this long-range spread are bioaerosolsTrusted Source, which… Continue reading Medical News Today: Schools will need more than fresh air to stop COVID-19: MIT study

As COVID-19 variants continue to emerge, infected children are potential “reservoirs” for the evolution of new variants as well as potential spreaders of current variants.

The distinction between droplet and airborne transmission has enormous consequences. To combat droplets, a leading precaution is to wash hands frequently with soap and water. To fight infectious aerosols, the air itself is the enemy. In hospitals, that means expensive isolation wards and N95 masks for all medical staff.