BENGALURU: It's possible that the novel coronavirus can spread simply through talking, a new Japanese research has found. This third route of transmission of COVID-19 infection may necessitate wearing masks even while having conversations in a closed room at more than the specified distance of six feet. Inhaling droplets emanating from coughing/sneezing and touching infected surfaces are already known to be modes of transmission.
The research featured by Japanese TV channel NHK World and conducted under the aegis of SHN Nippon Air Technologies Co Ltd by using laser beams and high sensitivity cameras, has found that exhaled droplets as small as in the range of 1/10,000th of a millimetre to 1/100th of a millimetre can remain suspended in the air in a closed room for up to 20 minutes, and can carry the infection from an infected person to others present in the room.
Kazuhiro Tateda, pesident, The Japanese Association of Infectious Disease (TJAID), told the channel: “Transmissions are happening even during conversations, even when people are standing a certain distance apart. These cases can’t be explained by ordinary droplet infection. We think infection comes from micrometre particles. This transmission can be called ‘micro-droplet infection’.” A controlled experiment carried out by the researchers in a closed classroom with ten people in it found that while heavier droplets from coughing/sneezing or even while talking loudly, dropped to the ground, the lighter micro-droplets remained suspended in the air for up to 20 minutes.
Tateda and Masashi Yamakawa, Associate Professor, Kyoto Institute of Technology, have advised avoiding holding conversations in a closed room and to keep windows and doors open at two ends to ensure that these micro-droplets flow outwards and not stagnate in the room.
‘Private clinics should be open for emergencies’
Commenting on the source of infection, Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G Sankar said the individuals had a travel history to Bengaluru and Mandya in mid-March and suspected that they might have contracted the infection from there. However, he said that there is no need to worry since these individuals have only eight primary contacts in Mysuru who are kept under quarantine now.
The two others who tested positive are connected to the Nanjangud pharma company. Patient 139 is a contact of Patient 52, the first pharma firm employee who tested positive. Patient 140 is a contact of Patient 78, another pharma employee. Among the new cases in Bengaluru, Patients 129 and 130 are contacts of Patient 58. Patient 131 is a 43-year-old male and contact of Patient 101, while Patient 132 is a 78-year-old man who had travelled to Dubai.
With respect to the Jamaat cases, education minister Suresh Kumar said, “We sent 380 samples for testing of which we received 214 reports and 198 have tested negative. There were 19 foreigners who had come to Karnataka — 10 Indonesians and nine Kazhaks — all tested negative.” While Patient 125, the 75-year-old man from Bagalkot who died on Friday, had no recorded travel history, the Health Department is looking into it. “The patient had uncontrolled diabetes, hypertension and also had a cardiac stent earlier.