Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2020;75:e2343.

SARS-CoV-2. Long Distance Airborne Transmission and its Public Health Implications

Gustavo Silveira Graudenz , Cristiane Degobbi , Paulo Hilario Saldiva

DOI: 10.6061/clinics/2020/e2343

By the end of July 2020, more than 15 million confirmed cases of and more than half a million deaths from coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), had been recorded. Of these, more than 2.5 million cases and 85,000 deaths were recorded in Brazil. As it is difficult to sustain measures of social isolation, more focused and effective preventive measures against viral transmission are urgently needed to prevent the spread of the disease. Until recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) endorsed only two modes of viral transmission. The first mode is via inhalation of large respiratory droplets generated from coughing, sneezing, or breathing by an infected individual, wherein the infective potential is short-ranged. The second mode is via direct contact with contaminated surfaces (fomites), wherein the virus is carried by the hands to the nose, mouth, or eyes.

Considering this, frequent hand washing, maintaining a social distance of 1 m, good respiratory hygiene, and avoiding crowds (no specifications) are considered main preventive measures ().

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