A study from MIT researcher now suggests that the current guidelines to stay 3 to 6 feet apart from one another may be terribly not enough as the novel coronavirus is found capable of travelling 27 feet and staying up in the air for hours.
Coronavirus could travel up to 27 feet
In a newly published research in the Journal of the American Medical Association, MIT associate professor Lydia Bourouiba warned that "pathogen-bearing droplets of all sizes can travel 23 to 27 feet."
She noted that current guidelines -inc are based on outdated models from the 1930s and that they are "overly simplified". The researcher, who has been studying exhalation like sneezes and coughs, fears that they could limit the effectiveness of the proposed interventions" against the virus that started in Wuhan, China.
In line with this, she called for better measures for healthcare workers and longer distance from COVID-19 patients and people sneezing or coughing
World Health Organizationizations (WHO) has suggested 3 feet distance while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended 6 feet.
"There's an urgency in revising the guidelines currently being given by the [WHO] and the [CDX] on the needs for protective equipment, particularly for the frontline health care workers," Bourouiba told USA Today.
Ms Bourouiba also added that "droplets that settle along the trajectory can contaminate surfaces" - and "residues or droplet nuclei" could linger in the air for hours.
How does WHO respond?
This is what WHO has to say regarding the issue:
"WHO carefully monitors emerging evidence about this critical topic and will update this scientific brief as more information becomes available."
"WHO welcomes modeling studies, which are helpful for planning purposes. WHO teams work with several modeling groups to inform our work," it added.
USA Today sought for CDC comments via email but received no response.