Japanese computer model: air humidity a major risk factor for Covid-19

Posted by freedomforall 3 years, 5 months ago to Technology
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Their computer models show that humidity impacts the dispersion of virus particles through the air. Dry indoor conditions, expected during the winter months, threaten to provide better conditions for the coronavirus to spread indoors, making each trip to the supermarket even more risky than before.

The researchers used the Fugaku supercomputer to create models of the emission and movement of aerosolized virus particles (such as those found when humans talk, cough, sneeze, or laugh) in indoor environments.

Air humidity below 30 percent was found to double the number of aerosolized particles in the air when compared with humidity levels of 60 percent or higher.

The team, led by Makoto Tsubokura, suggests humidifiers might limit the spread of infection during colder months when it’s not possible to have the windows open.
SOURCE URL: https://www.rt.com/news/503433-japan-supercomputer-studies-coronavirus-spread/


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  • Posted by NealS 3 years, 5 months ago
    The mask industry, and fly by nights have done well in marketing and selling masks, now it is the humidifier industry's turn. Perhaps someone needs to investigate the stock holdings and patents owned or invested in by Anthony Fauci. Just an observation.
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  • Posted by Flootus5 3 years, 5 months ago
    Here we go. More computer models.

    My question would be: How does the virus survive without water? Evaporation is a huge factor in the deserts. Those little virus bodies with computer generated spikes in their images are going to dry up and die in no time. I'll take our 7 - 15% humidity in Nevada any time over dense humidity climates any day.

    But so much "science" is like this. Consider the concept of "social" distancing. It is actually physical distancing - social distancing would be staying off of endless social media. We are told 6 feet is the rule. Backwards, forwards, sideways, etc. But what if there is a breeze? Now it would be one foot on side and ten feet on the downwind side.

    It is all so silly.
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  • Posted by Lucky 3 years, 5 months ago
    I am beginning to like RT. But this one could just be another scare raiser especially as I do not see an author or an obvious way to verify.
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    • Posted by 3 years, 5 months ago
      Yes, lots of media have the story without the source study. Since it's a computer model, the assumptions of the study are crucial to validity of the study, e.g., global warming computer models.
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  • Posted by STEVEDUNN46 3 years, 5 months ago
    who really cares about this. it may be slightly interesting but we all gotta live, get food , go to work. enjoy a certain amount of association with friends and relatives. just let us achieve herd immunity like Sweden did and stop prolonging this bull shit out to a three year pandemic instead of 6 months. enough already.
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  • Posted by $ Stormi 3 years, 5 months ago
    They originally were back and forth on whether high or low humidity killed the virus. No a study. However, conisi has a fraction of t.dering my old home of Roswell, NM. has a fraction of the humidity in the Miedwest, why are we still seeing cases of the virus in AZ and NM? I remember standing under a tree in Phoenix, and feeling my first time getting rained on via transpiration of the tree. Amazing how dry it can be. out there. We use two humidifiers in our ranch home in the Midwest, with bacteria treatment in water. They run all winter. A yeear ago a study showed that those with humidfiers, evaporative, had fewer colds. Of curse, part of it is your nasal and throat tissue do not become dry and cracked, and more prone to infection.
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  • Posted by $ allosaur 3 years, 5 months ago
    Wonderful news! I'm an at risk person who lives in Alabama.
    Me dino now recalls my maternal widowed grandmother moved down from New Jersey to live out her last years with my parents during the Eighties.
    She complained how the cold cuts through her clothes down here. We told her that was due to the humidity.
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    • Posted by 3 years, 5 months ago
      I had more trouble breathing in dry AZ than in the humid south.
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      • Posted by $ allosaur 3 years, 5 months ago
        Me dino sweats more than most people.
        Recall I was standing out somewhere in a midsummer's intense dry heat of a Southwest desert--maybe I was touring parks in Arizona--when I actually felt a cooling effect of vaporized sweat being sucked out of my arms.
        That's something I never felt when dribbling sweat in the Deep South. Need to have plenty of drinking water when out in the heat in both places, though.
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  • Posted by $ Abaco 3 years, 5 months ago
    In my work I have been touting this parameter for several years now. Keep health care relative humidity levels between 40 and 60% to drop the droplets carrying pandemics. Then this virus hit and now people are listening. Here's the problem...Several years ago the State of California reported that they saw not infection risk with lowering the lower allowable levels down to 20%. Now...you've got what you've got.

    Avoid crowded indoor places with low RH levels. This particular virus has mastered traveling on droplets that are 1/4 micron...this thing travels through the air really well. Elevating the RH levels back to 40 and above makes the tiny, well-traveling droplets swell and drop to the floor...where you won't breathe them in.
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  • Posted by Owlsrayne 3 years, 5 months ago
    Now there are advertisements on Facebook and on-line for table top vaporizers/humidifiers with UV lamps in them. All these type of manufacturers are jumping on the gravy train to sell any Covid fear based products. If JB wins, mandatory face mask wearing is going to be a a hard sell here in Arizona. People shopping in the stores aren't wearing masks despite the cities mandate for masks to be worn in stores.
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