Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is the dominant route of transmission: droplets and aerosols.

Rabaan, Ali A; Al-Ahmed, Shamsah H; Al-Malkey, Maysaa; Alsubki, Roua; Ezzikouri, Sayeh; Al-Hababi, Fadel Hassan; Sah, Ranjit; Al Mutair, Abbas; Alhumaid, Saad; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A; Al-Omari, Awad; Al-Qaaneh, Ayman M; Al-Qahtani, Manaf; Tirupathi, Raghavendra; Al Hamad, Mohammad A; Al-Baghli, Nadira A; Sulaiman, Tarek; Alsubait, Arwa; Mehta, Rachana; Abass, Elfadil; Alawi, Maha; Alshahrani, Fatimah; Shrestha, Dhan Bahadur; Karobari, Mohmed Isaqali; Pecho-Silva, Samuel; Arteaga-Livias, Kovy; Bonilla Aldana, D Catterine; Rodriguez-Morales, Alfonso J

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a pandemic worldwide. On a daily basis the number of deaths associated with COVID-19 is rapidly increasing. The main transmission route of SARS-CoV-2 is through the air (airborne transmission). This review details the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the aerodynamics, and different modes of transmission (e.g. droplets, droplet nuclei, and aerosol particles). SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted by an infected person during activities such as expiration, coughing, sneezing, and talking. During such activities and some medical procedures, aerosols and droplets contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 particles are formed. Depending on their sizes and the environmental conditions, such particles stay viable in the air for varying time periods and can cause infection in a susceptible host. Very few studies have been conducted to establish the mechanism or the aerodynamics of virus-loaded particles and droplets in causing infection. In this review we discuss the various forms in which SARS-CoV-2 virus particles can be transmitted in air and cause infections.