Review of the Role of Aerosols in the Spread of COVID-19

Aerosols are microscopic solid or liquid particles suspended in the air people breathe. Despite their tiny size, aerosols are extremely important to human health and the planet’s climate. Aerosols in the atmosphere come from both manmade and natural sources. Their diameters in the atmosphere range from a few nanometers to micrometers, depending on where they come from and what kind they are. Numerous respiratory viruses can spread through contact and droplet transmission. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, known as COVID-19, may spread via airborne transmission. According to growing epidemiological evidence, viral aerosol is an important mode of transmission for coronavirus and influenza due to its high infectiousness and propensity for rapid spread. Another crucial topic of study is how bioaerosols contribute to the current COVID-19 pandemic’s transmission. Evidence suggests that, in favorable circumstances, aerosols aid in transmitting COVID-19. When a person with the virus exhales microscopic particles that hang in the air without much dilution, this could result in short-range aerosol transmission. If enough are breathed in by a susceptible person, they could spread the infection. Aerosol particles dispersing away from the diseased person can also expose them. At distances more than a few feet, COVID-19 can be spread by inhaling the virus in the air. An entire room or indoor space can get contaminated with particles from an ill person. According to popular belief, SARS-CoV-2 spreads via droplets released during ill individuals’ coughing, sneezing, talking, or exhaling. Some droplets fall on surrounding floors or surfaces because they are too heavy to stay in the air.