Scientists at Montefiore Medical Center, University of Pennsylvania Hospital and other US health centers have determined that the coronavirus spreads primarily through aerosols of air, not through surfaces. Thus, social distancing and good ventilation are the most effective ways to contain COVID-19. This is reported in an article in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The researchers analyzed scientific papers published in the journal between January and September 2020 on the transmission factors of SARS-CoV-2. It turned out that, although some articles indicate that viral particles can survive for several hours on surfaces, in reality, viral RNA is rarely found in the environment. Proximity to infected people and poor ventilation are key contamination factors.
Also, the virus is most often transmitted from people with an early stage of infection. The number of SARS-CoV-2 viral particles peaks in the body about a day before the onset of symptoms and decreases within a week after the onset of the disease. Most of the infected do not participate in the spread of the virus, but some patients are the main carriers, infecting many people at once.
