RES.10-S95 | Fall 2020 | Undergraduate

Physics of COVID-19 Transmission

Lecture Videos

Video 1-10: Transfer of Respiratory Pathogens—Aerosolized Pathogen Deactivation

Relative humidity affects the deactivation of bacteria and virus differently. Virions in droplets remain viable for longer at both low and high relative humidities due to less exposure to deactivating salts.

Ref: Humidity-Dependent Decay of Viruses, but Not Bacteria, in Aerosols and Droplets Follows Disinfection Kinetics Kaisen Lin and Linsey C. Marr Environmental Science & Technology 2020 54 (2), 1024-1032 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b04959

Speaker: Professor Martin Z. Bazant

Course Info