Aerogenous spread of SARS-CoV-2 in social situations and during medical procedures.

Goal To understand which measures help to limit the spread of the Coronavirus, knowledge is required about the routes of spread. Traditionally, it is thought that viruses that cause respiratory complaints spread through large droplets. These large droplets can infect someone by coughing directly, but can also spread by hitting a surface. The role of aerosols (the very small droplets) has only been studied to a limited extent. Results This study investigated whether we could detect 'live' virus in air samples taken from more than 2 meters from a positively tested person. In approximately one third of the people, at least 1 (out of a maximum of 2) sample(s) was positive at a distance of more than 2 metres. The virus culture subsequently showed that the viruses in these samples were still able to infect human cells. Follow-up research will have to demonstrate whether the amount of virus in these aerosols is sufficient to actually lead to infection.