[1/7] The coronavirus is spread through the air, especially in indoor spaces, and scientists now openly acknowledge the role played by aerosols in the pandemic. EL PAÍS recreated three common settings to see how contagion works, and above all how to prevent it

[2/7] The first setting is a gathering of six people inside a living room, where one of the individuals is infected. Regardless of the distance between them, if they are not wearing face masks and the space is not ventilated, everyone will be infected within four hours

[3/7] Outbreaks at bars and other establishments are the most explosive situations of all, because they infect 27 people on average. These images show the various outcomes if the spaces have no ventilation and people do not wear face masks https://bit.ly/3e5i9Ih 

[4/7] The following graph recreates a classroom, even though schools only account for 6% of the outbreaks recorded by Spanish health authorities. The government has recommended ventilating classrooms even during cold weather, or using ventilation equipment https://bit.ly/3e5i9Ih 

[5/7] Now we also know that yelling or singing in an indoor space creates a high risk of transmission. When we speak loudly we exhale 50 times more virus-laden particles than when we are silent. If these aerosols are not diluted through ventilation, their concentration rises

[6/7] Methodology: To calculate the probabilities of infecting people in risky situations, we used a simulator developed by a group of scientists led by José Luis Jiménez of Colorado University https://bit.ly/3e5i9Ih 

[7/7] This thread is based on a feature for @materia_ciencia by @javisalas and @Mariano_Zafra which is available here. Editing by @Sikonome https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-10-28/a-room-a-bar-and-a-class-how-the-coronavirus-is-spread-through-the-air.html?ssm=TW_CM