Simulated supercomputer-controlled models in Japan suggested that operating commuter trains with open windows and limiting the number of passengers may help reduce the risk of coronavirus infections, as scientists warn of the spread of the virus in the air.
In an open letter published Monday, 239 scientists in 32 countries described the evidence they say shows that floating virus particles can infect people who breathe them.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognized “emerging evidence” of air transmission, but said it was not definitive.
Even if the coronavirus is in the air, questions remain about how many infections occur via that route. The concentration of the virus in the air can also decide the risks of contagion, said the University of Kyoto professor Yuki Furuse.
In the open letter, the scientists called for better ventilation and to avoid crowded and closed environments, recommendations that Shin-ichi Tanabe, one of the letter’s co-authors, says Japan widely adopted months ago.
“In Japan, the COVID-19 countermeasures committee insisted on 3Cs at an early stage,” said Tanabe, a professor at Waseda University in Tokyo, referring to Japan’s public campaign to avoid ‘confined spaces, crowded places, and close-contact settings. ‘”This is ahead of the world.”
As Japan controlled the pandemic, with more than 19,000 confirmed cases and 977 deaths so far, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura attributed his success to the 3Cs and his conglomerate tracking strategy.
The recent study by Japanese research giant Riken, which uses the world’s fastest supercomputer, the Fugaku, to simulate how the virus travels in the air in various settings, recommended several ways to reduce the risks of infection in public settings.
Its chief investigator, Makoto Tsubokura, said opening windows on commuter trains can increase ventilation two to three times, decreasing the concentration of environmental microbes.
But for adequate ventilation, there need to be gaps between passengers, the simulations showed, representing a drastic change from the conspicuously crowded commuter trains in Japan.
Other findings advised the installation of partitions in offices and classrooms, while in hospitals, beds should be surrounded by curtains that touch the ceiling.
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