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Study: Covid Transmission at home tricky to prevent.

By on February 15, 2022

Even if a member of the family who has Covid symptoms self-isolated in a separate room, the likelihood of a transmission is still high, according to a new study.

Howard Kipen, a professor of environmental health at Rutgers University’s School of Public Health  said studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate the probability of COVID transmission within a home is about 50%.

The study involved 11 families where the room one member infected with the new coronavirus (two were one-person households) self-isolated, was located next to the other family members’.

The researchers took an air sample for 24 hours using a PTFE filter. An RT-PCR test was made to determine if the tiny airborne particles contained in the sample had three genomes specific to the new coronavirus.

The infected individuals spent from 10 to 24 hours inside isolation rooms during the sampling stage. They spent no more than 14 hours in shared spaces and 45% of the time, in other parts of  the home.

One or more types of viral genes were detected in 11 isolation rooms and 6 other places within the home. Two or more types were detected in 5 places and 9 shared spaces. One or more viral gene types were further detected in 6 other spaces, and 2 types in 4 rooms.

It’s a new discovery after pre-COVID thinking about airborne illnesses, most of which were historically shown to spread in relatively large particles within closed spaces. “That is because of how minuscule the coronavirus’ particles can be — as small as 1/70th the diameter of a human hair — and how long they can hang around,” Kipen said.

He added. “There really is an appropriate concern for (SARS-CoV-2) particles that are floating in the air, and people who are caring for someone who’s isolating need to be more careful.”

The researchers pointed out that many of these infected people spent a lot of time in adjacent shared spaces, not just in rooms where they isolated themselves from other members of the family. “It has also become clear that many infected people have not been able to strictly isolate themselves,” he added.

Airborne infection in the living environment where there is a lot of contact with others appears to be one of the reasons for the high infection rate of the new coronavirus in low-income groups.

Relatively large viral droplets fall on the floor and other environmental surfaces within 2 meters of the source. Kipen said frequent hand washing, social distancing, and wearing a mask can reduce the risk of infection.

Although the use air purifiers is common in Japan, he declined to comment on its effectivity against covid as there hasn’t been a study published in the United States.

Until then, Kipen advises the public to use high-quality masks and expose oneself to as much natural ventilation as possible, and getting vaccinated to prevent COVID iinfection n the home.

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