Can Coronavirus Spread Through Air? Italian Scientists Find Preliminary Evidence, Call For Further Research

While it may be too early to suggest that coronavirus can spread through the air, a team of Italian researches has certainly discovered some evidence of coronavirus on air pollution particles.

Contrary to previous assumptions, the findings of the preliminary study conducted in Italy suggests that COVID-19 may travel farther as the coronavirus genes have been identified on airborne pollutants.

However, it is not yet clear that the virus remains viable to cause infection when it spreads through airborne pollutants and therefore, has called in for further deeper research into the matter. The research itself has not been peer-reviewed, however, previous studies conducted around the same subject indicate that the findings could be valid.

The research has been conducted by a team of researchers headed by Leonardo Setti from the Italy’s University of Bologna. The scientists analyzed two samples of air pollutants, collected each from an urban site and an industrial site in Bergamo province.

Setti says that it needs to be investigated whether coronavirus can be carried through air pollution.

“ I am a scientist and I am worried when I don’t know,” he said. “If we know, we can find a solution. But if we don’t know, we can only suffer the consequences.”

The study findings are supported by similar research conducted previously, suggesting a higher rate of coronavirus infections in Northern Italy, just before lockdown. Northern Italy is one of the most polluted areas in the country. Additionally, the mortality rate is up to 12 percent in Northern Italy, whereas it is about 4.5 percent in the rest of the country.

The previously conducted studies have also shown that air pollutants may carry microbes and may have even carried viruses for some other conditions. Therefore, it becomes all the more important to investigate whether the same remains true to coronavirus as well.

Even the SARS coronavirus of 2003 spread in the air. While large droplets from an infected person are more likely to fall to the ground, small droplets are likely to remain suspended in the air for a few minutes to hours and can also potentially travel.

Coronavirus has so far infected almost 2.8 million people globally, taking almost 195,000 lives.