Facts on COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2

**The hospital-grade HEPA filters used in AeroShield Aerosol Extractors are certified to capture particles small enough to be effective against SARS-CoV-2. Don’t be fooled by faulty filters. See details at www.AeroShieldHealth.com.**

See full article at:

https://www.fpm.org.uk/blog/covid-19-sars-cov-2-pandemic/

Route of Infection

The human coronaviruses may be spread via aerosol infection of the respiratory tract following inhalation of aerosol particles in air. Large particle sizes contaminate the upper airways, but particles of <5 microns size can move into the lower respiratory tract. Coughing, spitting, sneezing and talking generate aerosols made up of mucus droplets containing the virus. In a study investigating cough aerosols, the Edmonton group demonstrated that cough aerosols are composed of droplets ranging from 0.1 to 900 microns size, of which 97 per cent were less than 1 micron in size, and 99 per cent less than 10 microns. While larger particles will tend to settle quickly on nearby surfaces, particles less than 2.5 microns size remain airborne for a longer time. Thus, most of the infectious particles produced by coughing will remain airborne and can be inhaled into the lungs⁸. Coronaviruses are relatively stable on a variety of surfaces and thus can also spread via fomite transfection by hand contact with virus particles on surfaces contaminated by respiratory secretions and subsequent touching the mucous membranes of the face (eyes, mouth, nose). Human coronaviruses can be detected in faeces, and transmission via the faeco-oral route is also possible⁹.

Given these potential routes of infection, masking patients to provide a barrier to the coughing of aerosols into surrounding air, isolation of cases away from others, strict personal hygiene with frequent hand washing, regular cleaning of potentially contaminated surfaces and protection against aerosol inhalation by attendants by use of respiratory protection equipment are all imperative to prevent transmission.