livemint.com
17.05.2021 / 11:21
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Covid is airborne, scientists say. Now authorities think so, too
Speaking, SingingSARS-CoV-2 multiplies in the respiratory tract, enabling it to spread in particles of varying sizes emitted from an infected person’s nose and throat during breathing, speaking, singing, coughing and sneezing.The biggest particles, including visible spatters of spittle, fall fast, settling on the ground or nearby surfaces, whereas the tiniest -- aerosols invisible to the naked eye -- can be carried farther and stay aloft longer, depending on humidity, temperature and airflow.It’s these aerosol particles, which can linger for hours and travel indoors, that have have stoked controversy.Although airborne infections, like tuberculosis, measles and chickenpox are harder to trace than pathogens transmitted in tainted food and