Coronavirus spreads through speech, experiment finds
Speech-generated saliva microdroplets can remain suspended in the air of an enclosed space for more than ten minutes, according to an experiment published Wednesday in the journal PNAS and which highlights the likely role of microdroplets in the Covid-19 pandemic. .
The spread of the new Sars-Cov-2 coronavirus by coughing and sneezing is well known, but when we speak, we also project invisible microdroplets of saliva that may contain viral particles. The smaller they are, the longer they stay in suspension in the air, while the heavier ones, by the effect of gravity, will fall back more quickly on the ground. ## Et_ # AUSSI_2_ #
In work published in April in the journal NEJM, the same team had observed that speaking less loudly produced relatively fewer droplets.
Confirming the level of contagiousness of Sars-Cov-2 by speech, and not just by postlets or droplets of saliva falling on switches, ramps or door handles, will help scientifically justify wearing the mask, now recommended in many countries – and to explain the strong contagiousness of the virus. ## Et_ # AUSSI_1_ #
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