Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

July 17, 2020

Risk Assessment of Airborne Transmission of COVID-19 by Asymptomatic Individuals under Different Practical Settings

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  • [pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Shao et al. combined measured aerosol generation from 8 study participants with mathematical simulations to estimate risk of SARS-CoV-2 aerosol spread under scenarios including an elevator, lecture hall, and supermarket. Simulations indicated that SARS-CoV-2 aerosol transmission in an elevator under high ventilation would be very low with normal breathing, but would increase if the emitter is speaking.  
  • In a classroom in which the emitter is a lecturer speaking continuously, risk to students is lowest if ventilation is located near the emitter. 
  • Changing the location of ventilation within a supermarket may alter the risk to shoppers throughout the store and cashiers at the front in different ways.   

Shao et al. (July 2020). Risk Assessment of Airborne Transmission of COVID-19 by Asymptomatic Individuals under Different Practical Settings. Pre-print downloaded July 17 from https://arxiv.org/abs/2007.03645