Deposition features of inhaled viral droplets may lead to rapid secondary transmission of COVID-19

Shang, Yidan; Tao, Yao; Dong, Jingliang; He, Fajiang; Tu, Jiyuan

Inhaled viral droplets may immediately be expelled and cause an escalating re-transmission. Differences in the deposition location of inhaled viral droplets may have a direct impact on the probability of virus expelling. This study develops a numerical model to estimate the region-specific deposition fractions for inhalable droplets (1-50 [Formula: see text] m) in respiratory airways. The results identified a higher deposition fraction in the upper airways than the lower airways. Particularly for droplets larger than 10 [Formula: see text] m, the relatively high deposition fraction in the oral/laryngeal combined region warns of its easy transmission through casual talking/coughing. Moreover, considering droplet sizes’ effect on virus loading capacity, we built a correlation model to quantify the potential of virus expelling hazards, which suggests an amplified cascade effect on virus transmission on top of the existing transmission mechanism. It therefore highlights the importance of considering the instant expelling possibilities from inhaled droplets, and also implies potentials in restricting a rapid secondary transmission by measures that can lower down droplet deposition in the upper airways.