By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Oct. 9: A new study has shown that circulating air in aeroplanes is not likely to spread the coronavirus, provided that the passengers wear face masks at all times. The study, commissioned by the United States Department of Defense, suggests that the ventilation systems on airplanes are very efficient at filtering air and are able to take out disease-transmitting particles.
The study team simulated a coughing passenger on board a fully loaded plane and tracked the movement of the released respiratory droplets. They found that the in-flight ventilation system quickly sucked the droplets, preventing them from landing on surfaces or being inhaled by other passengers. The study assumes that mask-wearing is constant.
These conclusions are also supported by the American Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which states that most viruses and germs do not spread easily on flights because of how air is filtered and circulated.
However, the Department of Defense study has many notable limitations. “Infections can still spread through the touching of common surfaces or when people take off their masks, perhaps to use restrooms,” the team wrote. “Testing also did not include activities and interactions at airports, lounges and other places outside the plane.” The researchers also added, “The risk of transmission may also vary depending on where the infected passenger is facing and whether he/she is talking to anyone. Human behaviour is difficult to predict.”
It is to be considered that two previous studies published in the CDC’s Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal have documented cases of passengers contracting COVID-19 aboard flights. However, it is believed that they contracted the disease not when seated, but when using the lavatory.
Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in their latest study funded by the airline-industry supported Aviation Public Health Initiative, have also found that flying on planes is safe but have strongly urged travellers to wear masks and sanitize their hands and airlines to clean their planes thoroughly.