Japanese computer model: air humidity a major risk factor for Covid-19
Posted by freedomforall 4 years, 6 months ago to Technology
Their computer models show that humidity impacts the dispersion of virus particles through the air. Dry indoor conditions, expected during the winter months, threaten to provide better conditions for the coronavirus to spread indoors, making each trip to the supermarket even more risky than before.
The researchers used the Fugaku supercomputer to create models of the emission and movement of aerosolized virus particles (such as those found when humans talk, cough, sneeze, or laugh) in indoor environments.
Air humidity below 30 percent was found to double the number of aerosolized particles in the air when compared with humidity levels of 60 percent or higher.
The team, led by Makoto Tsubokura, suggests humidifiers might limit the spread of infection during colder months when it’s not possible to have the windows open.
The researchers used the Fugaku supercomputer to create models of the emission and movement of aerosolized virus particles (such as those found when humans talk, cough, sneeze, or laugh) in indoor environments.
Air humidity below 30 percent was found to double the number of aerosolized particles in the air when compared with humidity levels of 60 percent or higher.
The team, led by Makoto Tsubokura, suggests humidifiers might limit the spread of infection during colder months when it’s not possible to have the windows open.
My question would be: How does the virus survive without water? Evaporation is a huge factor in the deserts. Those little virus bodies with computer generated spikes in their images are going to dry up and die in no time. I'll take our 7 - 15% humidity in Nevada any time over dense humidity climates any day.
But so much "science" is like this. Consider the concept of "social" distancing. It is actually physical distancing - social distancing would be staying off of endless social media. We are told 6 feet is the rule. Backwards, forwards, sideways, etc. But what if there is a breeze? Now it would be one foot on side and ten feet on the downwind side.
It is all so silly.
Recall I was standing out somewhere in a midsummer's intense dry heat of a Southwest desert--maybe I was touring parks in Arizona--when I actually felt a cooling effect of vaporized sweat being sucked out of my arms.
That's something I never felt when dribbling sweat in the Deep South. Need to have plenty of drinking water when out in the heat in both places, though.
Me dino now recalls my maternal widowed grandmother moved down from New Jersey to live out her last years with my parents during the Eighties.
She complained how the cold cuts through her clothes down here. We told her that was due to the humidity.
Avoid crowded indoor places with low RH levels. This particular virus has mastered traveling on droplets that are 1/4 micron...this thing travels through the air really well. Elevating the RH levels back to 40 and above makes the tiny, well-traveling droplets swell and drop to the floor...where you won't breathe them in.