COVID-19 Confirmed Patient Shared 4-Person Table, Adjacent Seat Poses Highest Infection Risk

The Diagonally Opposite Seat Has the Lowest Infection Risk
Increasing Indoor Humidity in Winter Helps Prevent the Spread of COVID-19

▲Simulation predicting droplet dispersion scenarios using the supercomputer Fugaku by the Japan National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and Kobe University research team (Source=Kyodo News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] A study has found that when a COVID-19 patient sits at a four-person dining table, the person most likely to be infected is not the one sitting opposite but the person sitting next to them.

On the 14th, a research team from Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and Kobe University announced the results of a study predicting droplet spread through saliva using 'Fugaku,' the world's fastest supercomputer.

The study assumed that all four people were sitting at a standard Japanese restaurant table measuring 120 cm wide and 60 cm deep, without wearing masks, and conversing for about one minute.

Based on this, the simulation results showed that when the amount of saliva droplets splashing to the person opposite the infected individual was set as 1, the amount splashing to the person next to them was five times higher.

The droplets reaching the person diagonally across were about one-quarter of those reaching the person opposite.

In other words, when sitting with a COVID-19 infected person at a four-person table, the highest risk of infection is the person sitting next to them, followed by the person opposite, with the lowest risk being the person diagonally across.

The infection risk for the person next to the infected individual was confirmed to be 20 times higher than that for the person diagonally across.

The research team stated, "Using face shields for the person opposite and partitions for the person next to you are effective measures to prevent COVID-19 infection."

The team also analyzed the correlation between humidity and droplet spread.

As a result, when coughing without a mask at 30% humidity, saliva droplets became smaller and flew abundantly toward the person opposite at the table.

At 60% humidity, the amount of droplets flying was reduced by about half.

Based on this, the research team advised that increasing indoor humidity during the dry winter season could help suppress the spread of COVID-19.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.