They adapted a numerical model from computational fluid dynamics that simulates turbulence, modeling cough jets in breezy conditions and in calm conditions that would be typical indoors. They found that mini vortices within the turbulence of the coughs “enable bigger droplets to persist in the air longer than has been typically assumed, increasing the time it takes to adequately dilute the viral load in fresh air,” the researchers said. “As the cough jet evolves and spreads, it interacts with the wind flowing in the same direction, and the bigger infected droplets become trapped in the jet’s vortices instead of falling relatively quickly to the ground under gravity.”
Discover more from Today Headline
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.