The COVID-19 Virus Can Spread Through the Air – Here’s What It’ll Take To Detect the Airborne Particles
Author: Suresh Dhaniyala.; Hema Priyamvada Ravindran.; Shantanu Sur.
Source: Volume 21, Number 06, September/October 2020 , pp.103-104(2)
< previous article |next article > |return to table of contents
Abstract:
A growing body of research shows that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can spread from person to person through the air. Indoor spaces with poor ventilation in areas where the virus is prevalent are particularly hazardous. In the fictional world of “Star Trek,” public health officials and first responders would be able to determine instantly if a space had a dangerous concentration of airborne virus, and any other pathogen, by simply waving around a tricorder. That technology, imagined 60 years ago, is still firmly in the realm of fiction. However, devices that can rapidly detect particular airborne pathogens—including SARS-CoV-2—are in the works in various research laboratories. This article examines some of the most promising of these devices and reviews the underlying science of airborne fine particles including viruses and viral transmission.Keywords: Bioaerosols; Induced Florescence; Mass Spectrometry; Wide-Scale Bioaerosol Sampling
Affiliations:
1: Clarkson University; 2: Clarkson University; 3: Clarkson University.