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Transmission of COVID-19 and The Role of Face Masks in Health Settings

The WHO reports that COVID-19 is transmitted via droplets and fomites through close contact, not through airborne transmission. Droplets are expelled from infected individuals through coughing, sneezing, or talking and can travel 1-2 meters before falling to the ground. Airborne transmission occurs over longer distances when infectious droplet nuclei remain suspended in the air. While SARS-CoV-2 spreads mainly through droplets, medical masks are recommended for healthcare workers during primary care due to the low risk of aerosol-generating procedures. Higher-risk staff may use N95 masks when in close contact with severe cases or during procedures like intubation.

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47 views2 pages

Transmission of COVID-19 and The Role of Face Masks in Health Settings

The WHO reports that COVID-19 is transmitted via droplets and fomites through close contact, not through airborne transmission. Droplets are expelled from infected individuals through coughing, sneezing, or talking and can travel 1-2 meters before falling to the ground. Airborne transmission occurs over longer distances when infectious droplet nuclei remain suspended in the air. While SARS-CoV-2 spreads mainly through droplets, medical masks are recommended for healthcare workers during primary care due to the low risk of aerosol-generating procedures. Higher-risk staff may use N95 masks when in close contact with severe cases or during procedures like intubation.

Uploaded by

MN Irshad
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Transmission of COVID-19 and the role

of face masks in health settings


6 APRIL 2020

The World Health Organization reports that based on available evidence, the SARS-CoV-2 virus is transmitted via
droplets and fomites through close contact, not by airborne transmission. 1
Droplet transmission occurs when respiratory droplets travel from the respiratory tract of the infectious
individual to the susceptible mucosal surfaces of the recipient, generally over short distances (1-2 metres).
Droplets are >5 µm in size, and are generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. Respiratory
droplets fall to the ground, under the effect of gravity, soon after being expelled and so only those people in
close contact with the infected individual are at risk of exposure. Examples of other viruses transmitted by
droplet spread diseases include influenza and rhinovirus. 2
Airborne transmission occurs when airborne droplet nuclei containing infectious agents remain infective over
time and distance. Droplet nuclei are ≤5 µm in size and can remain suspended in the air for longer periods of
time. They can be dispersed over long distances via air currents, meaning susceptible individuals who have not
been in close contact with the infected individual can be at risk of exposure. Examples of diseases spread by
airborne transmission include measles and varicella.
There is evidence that some viruses which are generally spread by droplet transmission (such as influenza and
rhinovirus) can be transmitted via small-particle aerosols within a defined space (e.g., patient room) when specific
procedures such as endotracheal intubation, non-invasive ventilation, tracheostomy, bronchoscopy, manual
ventilation, sputum induction, high flow nasal oxygen, cardiopulmonary resuscitation are undertaken.
Because SARS-CoV2 is spread mainly through droplet transmission, medical/surgical masks are recommended
for use in primary care in the care of patients. This includes taking nasopharyngeal and throat swabs, as these are
not considered aerosol generating procedures.
Patients with severe illness requiring hospital admission should be sent there for swabbing and further
management. Patients with illness that does not require admission can be swabbed in the community (general
practice, Community-Based Assessment Centres, or Community-Based Testing Centres) with contact and droplet
PPE.
Because they are managing more severe cases, some District Health Board staff may use N95 masks more often,
particularly by staff who will be having frequent direct care (close contact) of the patients early in the admission
or when undertaking aerosol generating procedures. These recommendations are in line with those of Australia
as well as the WHO.

References
1. Rational use of personal protective equipment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Interim
guidance. 27 February 2020. Geneva, World Health Organization.
apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/331215

2. Siegel JD, Rhinehart E, Jackson M, Chiarello L, and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory
Committee, 2007 Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in
Healthcare Settings (Updated July 2019). cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/isolation/index.html
3. Infection prevention and control during health care for probably or confirmed cases of Middle East
respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection. Interim guidance. Updated October 2019.
Geneva, World Health Organization. who.int/csr/disease/coronavirus_infections/ipc-mers-cov/en/

4. Infection prevention and control of epidemic and pandemic prone acute respiratory infections in
healthcare – WHO Guidelines. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2014.
apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/112656/1/9789241507134_eng.pdf

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