Most models that explain how viruses spread focus on human-to-human transmission. On the 22nd, a research paper published in the journal Fluid Physics of the American Physical Union pointed out that the role of pollen in the spread of the COVID-19 virus cannot be ignored.
The authors of the paper Tarib Debuk and Dimitris Drikakis studied how pollen promotes the spread of ribonucleic acid viruses like the COVID-19 virus. They used cutting-edge calculation methods to perform fluid dynamics analysis to simulate the movement of pollen on willow trees. Willow is a typical pollen spreader. Airborne pollen particles help airborne viruses, especially in crowded environments.
Drikakis said: "As far as we know, this is the first time we have demonstrated how pollen particles in the air are spread in the breeze through modeling and simulation, which helps the virus to spread through the air in outdoor people. "
Researchers have noticed that there is a correlation between the COVID-19 pneumonia infection rate and the pollen concentration on the national allergy map. Each pollen grain can carry hundreds of virus particles at a time. In heavy rain, the pollen discharged into the air by trees alone can reach 1500 grains/m3.
Researchers calculated all the pollen-producing parts of the willow tree and simulated outdoor gatherings of about 10 to 100 people, some of whom COVID-19 pneumonia patients would spread virus particles. At the same time, the researchers exposed these people to 10,000 pollen particles.
"One of the major challenges is to reconstruct a completely real mature willow environment." De Buk said, "This includes thousands of leaves and pollen particles, hundreds of tree trunks, and 100 real people about 20 meters away from the tree. The gathering scene."
Researchers adjusted the model to the temperature, wind speed, and humidity typical of spring in the United States, and pollen passed through the crowd in less than a minute. They found that this may significantly affect the viral load carried by pollen and increase the risk of infection.
Under the COVID-19 pneumonia epidemic, medical experts recommend that people maintain a social distance of 6 feet (approximately 1.8 meters) when traveling. However, the researchers said that 6 feet may not be enough for those at high risk who live in pollen-intensive areas. Based on the level of local pollen transmission, a new social distance should be proposed to better control the risk of virus infection.
While calling attention to other forms of the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the researchers hope that their research will stimulate further interest in plant fluid dynamics. Next, they hope to better understand the underlying mechanism of the interaction between the spread of pollen particles in the air and the human respiratory system under different environmental conditions.
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