Scientists have found that the main factor in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is the rate of evaporation of moisture in the air.
According to Gadin.Net, this was stated in a press release issued by EurekAlert.
The researchers studied the effects of humidity, heat and wind speed on the spread of the smallest droplets of saliva, which are virus particles. The results of theoretical modeling and hydrodynamic experiments have shown that high temperatures and low relative humidity lead to high evaporation rates of droplets contaminated with saliva, which significantly reduces the viability of the virus.
However, when the relative humidity is high, the distance traveled by the droplet clouds and their concentration remain significant even at high temperatures. Wind speed is another factor influencing possible changes in social distance order.
These results helped explain why the pandemic intensified in July in various densely populated cities around the world, both in high temperature and high relative humidity zones. It was also warned that the pandemic could worsen when cold temperatures and high wind speeds in the autumn and winter increase the survival and transmission of the virus in the air.