In a new study, scientists have analysed the outbreak of COVID-19 in a restaurant in China. Published in the journal, Physics of Fluids, the study, which used advance simulations of air-flows on supercomputers, revealed the role of air conditioners and ventilation in the spreading of airborne diseases and viruses. 

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The co-author of the study, Jiarong Hong explains “Our simulation captures various physical factors, including turbulent airflow, thermal effect, aerosol transport in turbulence, limited filtration efficiency of air conditioners, as well as the complex geometry of the space, all of which play a role in airborne transmission.”

Jiarong Hong is from the University of Minnesota, United States. 

The study focuses on the complex airflow formed when cold air from air conditioners interacts with the ‘hot plumes’ from any dining table giving rise to the transport of virus particles through these flows. 

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While several studies over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic have used computer simulations to assess the airborne transmission of the coronavirus, Hong and his colleagues said few have directly modelled the actual infection outbreaks reported via contact tracing.

As per the researchers, this study is the first case study with a realistic model which can directly be linked to the simulation. 

“It was enabled by advanced computational tools used in our simulation, which can capture the complex flows and aerosol transport and other multiphysics factors involved in a realistic setting,” Hong said.

There is a “remarkable direct linkage” between the reported infection patterns and regions of high aerosol exposure index within a restaurant providing solid support to the phenomenon of airborne virus transmission in a restaurant.

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“Our work highlights the need for more preventive measures, such as shielding more properly underneath the table and improving the filtration efficiency of air conditioners. More importantly, our research demonstrates the capability and value of high-fidelity computer simulation tools for airborne infection risk assessment and the development of effective preventive measures,” Hong said.

Based on these results, have researchers cautioned that there may be two other potential modes through which the virus spreads in restaurants that have been largely overlooked the transmission caused by aerosols rising from beneath a table, and transmission associated with a limited filtration efficiency of air conditioners.