Understanding air and water borne transmission and survival of coronavirus: Insights and way forward for SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in unprecedented disease burden, healthcare costs, and economic impacts worldwide. Despite several measures, SARS-CoV-2 has been extremely impactful due to its extraordinary infection potential mainly through coronavirus-borne saliva respiratory and droplet nuclei of an infected person and its considerable stability on surfaces. Although the disease has affected over 180 countries, its extent and control are significantly different across the globe, making it a strong case for exploration of its behavior and dependence across various environmental pathways and its interactions with the virus. This has spurred efforts to characterize the coronavirus and understand the factors impacting its transmission and survival such as aerosols, air quality, meteorology, chemical compositions and characteristics of particles and surfaces, which are directly or indirectly associated with coronaviruses infection spread. Nonetheless, many peer-reviewed articles have studied these aspects but mostly in isolation; a complete array of coronavirus survival and transmission from an infected individual through air- and water-borne channels and its subsequent intractions with environmental factors, surfaces, particulates and chemicals is not comprehensively explored. Particulate matter (PM) is omnipresent with variable concentrations, structures and composition, while most of the surfaces are also covered by PM of different characteristics. Learning from the earlier coronavirus studies, including SARS and MERS, an attempt has been made to understand the survival of SARS-CoV-2 outside of the host body and discuss the probable air and water-borne transmission routes and its interactions with the outside environment. The present work 1) Helps appreciate the role of PM, its chemical constituents and surface characteristics and 2) Further identifies gaps in this field and suggests possible domains to work upon for better understanding of transmission and survival of this novel coronavirus.

Comprehensive characterization of protective face coverings made from household fabrics

“…Transmission of respiratory viruses can happen through at least three primary modes [ 12 , 13 ]. First small submicron (< 1.0 μm) aerosols that can linger in the air for long periods of time [ 14 , 15 ], are generated while talking, breathing, and singing [ 16 , 17 ].…”

“…The third mode of infection, the contact or fomite route [ 12 , 13 ], has received least attention in context of face coverings. This route can cause infection in at least multiple potential ways: constant coughing or sneezing by an infected individual can lead to accumulation of significant volumes of fluids in the inner layers of the covering that can then permeate to outer layers; or supra large droplets that can transmit via nose drips or coughs, can permeate through different layers of the fabrics, reach the outermost layer, and get to other surfaces through touch.…”

Formulation of a composite nasal spray enabling enhanced surface coverage and prophylaxis of SARS-COV-2

“…Recent work, primarily undertaken within the COVID-19 pandemic has heavily focused on providing a deeper understanding on person to person airborne transmission. [2–5] During the act of coughing, turbulent air forces mucus breakup into droplets [6] ( ca . 0.62 to 15.9 μm), [7] which are then expelled through the oronasal passages at flow rates of up to 12 Ls -1 , reaching velocities of up to 30 ms -1 .…”

Point of care detection of COVID-19: Advancement in biosensing and diagnostic methods

“…Water released during flushing can also lead this virus accessing sewerage systems. Even though such data are yet to be determined, apart from the survival rate on different surfaces, the presence of particulate matter in the environment can vary in transmission through such indirect routes [ 27 ],.…”