articleProceedings of the National Academy of SciencesJun 11, 2020HYBRID OA

Identifying airborne transmission as the dominant route for the spread of COVID-19

RZRenyi ZhangYLYixin LiALAnnie L. ZhangYWYuan WangMJMario J. Molina

Texas A&M University · The University of Texas at Austin · +2 more institutions

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Abstract

Various mitigation measures have been implemented to fight the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, including widely adopted social distancing and mandated face covering. However, assessing the effectiveness of those intervention practices hinges on the understanding of virus transmission, which remains uncertain. Here we show that airborne transmission is highly virulent and represents the dominant route to spread the disease. By analyzing the trend and mitigation measures in Wuhan, China, Italy, and New York City, from January 23 to May 9, 2020, we illustrate that the impacts of mitigation measures are discernable from the trends of the pandemic. Our analysis reveals that the difference with and…

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1,316
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139.91
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100%
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Authors

5

Topics & keywords

Topics
Keywords
  • Social distance
  • Pandemic
  • Contact tracing
  • Quarantine
  • Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
  • Transmission (telecommunications)
  • Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
  • Intervention (counseling)
UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Good health and well-being
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