Beware of the reach of coronavirus 'superspreaders' - researchers

People with COVID-19 are unlikely to transmit the virus via exhaled droplets unless they are "superspreaders," researchers said in JAMA Network Open on Monday. 

But because there is no way for the average person to identify a superspreader, everyone should wear masks, they said.

Researchers looked at data on the viral load in sputum and swab samples from coronavirus patients and available information on patterns of microdroplets exhaled and coughed by healthy individuals.

They calculated that in a closed room about the size of a small office, most infected people would not put much virus into the air. But a person with a high viral load could put out a substantial amount of infectious material when simply breathing normally, they said.

Emissions can be further boosted if such individuals are coughing, singing, shouting, and moreso when combining those activities with physical exercise, Michael Riediker of the Swiss Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health told Reuters.

Emissions from a coughing superspreader even in well-ventilated rooms can result in airborne concentrations that bring along a serious risk of infection, he added.  -- Reuters