Aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2? evidence, prevention and control

Abstract

As public health teams respond to the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), containment and understanding of the modes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission is of utmost important for policy making. During this time, governmental regulators have been instructing resident with a series of physical distancing measures. However, currently there is no agreement on the role of aerosol transmission for SARS-CoV-2 among public health organizations from different countries. To this end, we aimed to review the evidences of aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Serval studies support that aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is plausible, and the plausibility (weight of combined evidence) is 8 out of 9, which is similar to SARS. Precautionary control strategies should consider aerosol transmission for effective mitigation of SARS-CoV-2.