Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is the dominant route of transmission: droplets and aerosols.
Ali A. Rabaan, Shamsah H. Al-Ahmed, Maysaa Kadhim Al-Malkey, Roua A. Alsubki, Sayeh Ezzikouri, Fadel Hassan Al-Hababi, Ranjit Sah, Abbas Al Mutair, Saad Alhumaid, J. A. Al-Tawfiq, Anees J. Alomari, Ayman M. Al‐Qaaneh, Manaf AlQahtani, Raghavendra Tirupathi, Mohammad Al Hamad, Nadira A Al-Baghli, Tarek Sulaiman, Arwa Alsubait, Rachana Mehta, Elfadil Abass, Maha Alawi, Fatimah Alshahrani, Durga Shrestha, Mohmed Isaqali Karobari, Samuel Pecho‐Silva, Kovy Arteaga‐Livias, D. Katterine Bonilla‐Aldana, Alfonso J. Rodríguez‐Morales
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a pandemic worldwide. On a daily basis the number of deaths associated with COVID-19 is rapidly increasing. The main transmission route of SARS-CoV-2 is through the air (airborne transmission). This review details the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the aerodynamics, and different modes of transmission (e.g. droplets, droplet nuclei, and aerosol particles). SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted by an infected person during activities such as expiration, coughing, sneezing, and talking. During such activities and some medical procedures, aerosols and droplets contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 particles are formed. Depending on their sizes and the environmental conditions, such particles stay viable in the air for varying time periods and can cause infection in a susceptible host. Very few studies have been conducted to establish the mechanism or the aerodynamics of virus-loaded particles and droplets in causing infection. In this review we discuss the various forms in which SARS-CoV-2 virus particles can be transmitted in air and cause infections.