1. Indoor transmission dynamics of expired SARS-CoV-2 virus in a model African hospital ward
- Author
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Rafiu Olasunkanmi Yusuf, Emmanuel Tolulope Odediran, I. A. Mohammed, Muhammad-Najeeb O. Yusuf, Jacob Ademola Sonibare, Taofeek Oloyede, Khadijat Abdulkareem Abdulraheem, Oladele Idris Muniru, Jamiu Adetayo Adeniran, and Omowonuola Olubukola Sonibare
- Subjects
Environmental Engineering ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,Meteorology ,Indoor air ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,02 engineering and technology ,010501 environmental sciences ,Residence time (fluid dynamics) ,01 natural sciences ,Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology ,Airborne transmission ,020401 chemical engineering ,0204 chemical engineering ,Hospital ward ,Waste Management and Disposal ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Water Science and Technology ,Aerosols ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Indoor environment ,Pollution ,Transmission (telecommunications) ,Environmental science ,Particle ,Covid-19 ,Research Article - Abstract
Cough and sneeze droplets’ interactions with indoor air of a typical hospital clinic that could be majorly found in developing African countries were studied to investigate the effectiveness of existing guidelines/protocols being adopted in the control of the widespread coronavirus disease (COVID-19) transmission. The influences of indoor air velocity, the type, size distribution, residence time in air, and trajectory of the droplets, were all considered while interrogating the effectiveness of physical distancing measures, the use of face covers, cautionary activities of the general public, and the plausibility of community spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus through airborne transmission. Series of 3-D, coupled, discrete phase models (DPM) were implemented in the numerical studies. Based on DPM concentration maps as function of particle positions and particle residence times that were observed under different droplets release conditions, the virus-laden droplets could travel several meters away from the source of release (index patient), with smaller-sized particles staying longer in the air. The behavior of indoor air was also found to indicate complex dynamics as particle transports showed no linear dependence on air velocity. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40201-020-00606-5.
- Published
- 2020