The variants of SARS-CoV-2 virus seem to be getting better at travelling through the air, suggests a new study, adding that it is important for people to wear tight-fitting masks, ensure better ventilation and get vaccinated in order to check spread of the virus.

Investigators at the University of Maryland, US, noted that people infected with COVID-19 exhale the virus in their breath, and those affected by the Alpha variant put 43-100 times more virus into the air compared to those infected with the original strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The study also noted that loose-fitting cloth and surgical masks diminished the amount of virus that is put into the air around infected people by about half. Researchers noted that the amount of virus in the air coming from Alpha variant infections was around 18-times more than what could be explained by the increased amounts of virus in nasal swabs and saliva.

It is known that the virus from the nose and mouth can be transmitted by sprays of large droplets close to an infected person. The study indicates that the virus in exhaled aerosols is increasing even more. According to the researchers, these increases in airborne virus due to infections with Alpha variant occurred before the Delta variant emerged and suggest that the virus is evolving to get better at travelling through the air.

The researchers also assessed how much virus is breathed into the air and determined how much less virus people infected with COVID-19 exhaled into the air after putting on a cloth or surgical mask. Face coverings led to a significant reduction in the particles carrying the virus in the air around the person infected with COVID-19, reducing the amount by about 50%. However, the loose-fitting cloth and surgical masks could not stop the virus from getting into the air.

The study is published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Source: ET Healthworld