Japan Supercomputer Suggested Travel Changes Amid Coronavirus Airborne Transmission Threat
Simulated supercomputer-driven models in Japan suggested that operating commuter trains with windows and limiting the number of passengers could help reduce the risk of coronavirus infection, as scientists warned of the spread of the virus to airborne spread.
In an open letter, 239 scientists in 32 countries outlined evidence that they say floating virus particles can infect the people who breathe them. The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledged ’emerging evidence’ of airborne transmission, but said it was not certain.
Even if the coronavirus is airborne, questions remain regarding how many infections occur through that route. Professor Yuki Furus of Kyoto University said that how much the virus is concentrated in the air can also determine the risk of contagion.
In the open letter, scientists urged improvements in ventilation and avoid crowded, enclosed environments, recommendations that Japan adopted roughly months ago, says Shin-Ichi Tanabe, one of the paper’s co-authors.
“In Japan, the committee for COVID-19 countermeasures emphasized 3C at an early stage,” said Tenbe, a professor at Waseda University in Tokyo to avoid ‘closed space, crowded place and close-contact settings’ Referring to Japan’s public campaign. “It is ahead of the world.”
As Japan named the epidemic with more than 19,000 confirmed cases and 977 deaths so far, Economy Minister, Yasutoshi Nishimura attributed its success to 3C and its cluster-tracing strategy. A recent study by Fugaku, the world’s fastest supercomputer by Japanese research giant Riken, to simulate how the virus travels in the air in different environments, suggested several ways to reduce the risk of infection in public settings.
Its principal researcher, Makoto Tsubokura, said that opening windows on commuter trains can increase ventilation two to three times by reducing the concentration of ambient germs. But to achieve adequate ventilation, there needs to be spaces between passengers, the simulation showed, and representing Japan’s notorious pack of commuter trains drastically. Other findings suggested the division of offices and classrooms, while in hospitals; beds should be surrounded by curtains touching the ceiling.
