June 12, 2020

Identifying Airborne Transmission as the Dominant Route for the Spread of COVID-19

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions

• Zhang et al. analyzed COVID-19 linear trends in the number of COVID-19 cases and fatalities in Wuhan (China), Italy, and the US in relation to the implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions. The authors interpret their findings as evidence that transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is predominantly airborne (aerosol) and that social distancing will not prevent airborne transmission without face coverings. [EDITORIAL NOTE: These results should be interpreted with caution. Ecological comparisons and temporal analyses, particularly in the context of dynamic epidemics without comparable control conditions, are limited in their evidence for or against causal effects of population-level interventions.] 

Zhang et al. (June 11, 2020). Identifying Airborne Transmission as the Dominant Route for the Spread of COVID-19. PNAS. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2009637117