Scientists said that the Corona virus may be able to spread through air-conditioning units after 24 people fell ill on a bus.
Tests showed passengers had contracted Covid-19 during the 90-minute flight in China’s Zhejiang Province on January 19, according to reports.
Experts have linked the 24 cases to a single passenger on the bus, which means viral droplets are likely to spread through the air conditioning unit.
The unit recycled the same air, instead of the fresh air from outside.
In an effort to prevent spreading, these air conditioning units should not be used or should only be used with open windows, according to the Daily Star reports.
The United Kingdom encouraged the use of newly fitted units in offices, cinemas and other indoor spaces.
(Photo: AFP via Getty Images)
In a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the outbreak was tracked to a single passenger before China went into lockdown on January 19.
The study revealed that passengers who sat farther from the coronavirus patient were as susceptible to contracting the virus as those sitting near them.
She points out that air conditioning played a role in capturing viral particles.
The paper’s authors write: “Investigations indicate that in closed environments with recycled air, SARS-CoV-2 is a highly contagious pathogen.
Image credit: Getty Images
“Our discovery of the potential for transmission through the air is of great public health significance, and future prevention and control efforts should take into account the potential for airborne Covid-19 to spread.”
Earlier in the pandemic, researchers looked at 10 cases of Covid-19 from three different families who all ate dinner at the same restaurant in Guangzhou, southern China, in late January.
An early July issue of the Journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases, published by the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that “the strong airflow from the air conditioner could have spread drops” between tables.
