A new study suggests that the variants of SARS-CoV-2 virus are evolving and getting better at travelling through the air, thus making it important for people to wear tight-fitting masks, ensure better ventilation, and get vaccinated, in order to curb the spread of the virus.

Investigators at the University of Maryland, US, noted that individuals infected with COVID-19 exhale the virus in their breath, and those affected by the Alpha variant introduce 43 to 100 times more virus into the air compared to those infected with the original strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Researchers also noted that face coverings led to a significant reduction in particles carrying the virus in the air around an individual infected with COVID-19, reducing the amount by about 50%. The findings are published in Clinical Infectious Diseases… (India Today – PTI, September 21, 2021)