Covid-19 crisis Airborne spread of covid virus
There were some reports that the covid virus could be spread through airborne transmission. This has caused a panic among the general population.

I find this to be an over reaction.

There is a big difference between the spread of the virus when there is close contact with an infected person at close proximity for a certain period of time, say a few minutes. 

In this case, the transmission of the virus can be quite heavy.

If an infected person spread the virus through sneezing or coughing, the virus load in the air is likely to be quite low. There is a very low chance of spreading the virus to the next person.

The chance of spreading the virus can be higher through surface contact but this should not be the case for airborne transmission.

In managing risk, we have to consider the likelihood of a calamity that may occur. We should not be concerned when the likelihood is very low.

Here is an example. Our past experience showed that it is possible for a plane to malfunction and to crash into houses. However, the chance is so low that people are not alarmed at this possibility.

I would consider the risk of air borne transmission to be very low as well. We do not need to be alarmed at this risk. We only need to be alarmed when there are many cases of transmission through this channel.

Vote - the risk of airborne transmission is low.

Tan Kin Lian






 

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