Thanks to prior #cough research I had been doing in #tuberculosis I got to know the excellent work of Dr. Lydia Bourouiba who works at @MIT. I think understanding her work is extremely relevant to #COVID19 times. She studies fluid dynamics of disease transmission. #cough #airborne

One of the most important works I read from Dr. B was this one https://lbourouiba.mit.edu/sites/default/files/documents/14BourouibaBush-sneezecloudJFM_corrected.pdf (all pics on this thread from that paper, with permission from Dr. B). She has basically been able to visualize the trajectory of each droplet.

Why is this important now? Because understand the dynamics/biophysics of droplets will help us understand the disease.

The @WHO has said that #COVID19 is not airborne but I think it is important to understand definitions first. If the droplet created is <5 um (or 10 um) then it is small enough for it to float (airborne). If it is larger it will be too heavy and drop faster (droplet)

It sounds great to #dichotomize pathogens into airborne vs droplet but the reality is that really the case? There are still no #COVID19 specific studies but inferring from sneezing/cough models from Dr. B then a cough/sneeze will produce a myriad of particles with diff sizes.

What is interesting from Dr. B's work is that small particles that are coughed up "join" together in something like a cough cloud and can travel farther distances.

Definitely we need specific #COVID19 studies but until then I think it is the wisest to assume there can be aerosol transmission in some degree. #PersonalOpinion

Here is Dr. B's lab: https://lbourouiba.mit.edu/home  if you want to support her work.