A certain startling 3D simulation which was created by some researchers in Finland was able to show just how particles from a single cough can circulate in the air for about several minutes and even travel from one aisle to another! The video highlighted the importance of major avoidance of busy indoor space during this time of the coronavirus pandemic.
This project was published just this week by the Aalto University along with three other institutions and was made to model a scenario in which a person who is inside the grocery store coughs in between shelves, spewing a cloud-like figure of "extremely small" airborne aerosol particles.
The team working on this 3D simulation
The team of researchers were actually working independently but then obtained quite the same results: the aerosol cloud does spread way beyond the immediate vicinity and can even take more than six minutes just to completely dilute!
According to the assistant professor at Aalto University, "Someone infected by the coronavirus, can cough and walk away, but then leave behind extremely small aerosol particles carrying the coronavirus. These particles could then end up in the respiratory tract of others in the vicinity," which explains the dangers of these aerosol particles.
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The current findings are still preliminary, but they do stress the importance of properly following the guidelines put in place by the health authorities around the world regarding the implementation of social distancing along with proper hand washing and other hygiene and sanitation procedures.
The results of this 3D simulation
According to the chief specialist from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare Jussi Sane's statement, "The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare recommends that you stay at home if you are unwell and that you maintain physical distance with everyone." Following the statement saying that "The instructions also include coughing into your sleeve or a tissue and taking care of good hand hygiene."
These finish researchers have also noted that droplet infection through the close proximity of one person to another remains the main cause of the transmission of coronavirus. Besides the Aalto University, the study was also carried out by the Finnish Meteorological Institute, VTT Technical Research Center of Finland as well as the University of Helsinki.
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The results stress out that the guidelines are there for a reason and they are to be followed by citizens at the supermarket in order to stay away from the possibility of infection from this pandemic. While shopping at the supermarket is still a necessity for people, the best citizens can do is to follow proper social distancing guidelines.
The coronavirus pandemic
While the virus spreads around the world and the health officials are battling it, scientists are also working on finding both a cure as well as a vaccine for this particular virus. The best thing citizens can do is to do their part and follow the guidelines pertaining to social distancing as well as proper hygiene.