COVID-19: Extended Short-Range Aerosol Transmission

By Nana Dadzie Ghansah

Last week, a group of 239 scientists sent a letter to the WHO asking the body to consider the role of airborne transmission in the spread of COVID-19. What was missing in most accounts was that the prerequisites for this kind of transmission were poor ventilation and crowded spaces. Among the studies and case reports they cited to buttress their claim is the report of how COVID-19 broke out in a restaurant in Guangzhou, China, back in January.

On January 23, 2020, a family of ten (let us call them Family A), arrived in Guangzhou, China, from Wuhan. On January 24 and the Chinese New Year, the whole family went to a Restaurant X for lunch. Restaurant X is an air-conditioned, 5-floor building without windows. They were seated at a table in the 3rd-floor dining room at 12:01. The table was one of three tables at the far end of the room. The table Family A occupied was in the middle of the arrangement. (In all, there were 18 tables in that dining room).

Next to their table, a Family B, a party of 4, was already seated. They arrived at 11:37. About 2 minutes after Family A was seated, the table on their other side was occupied by Family C, a party of 7. Family B left the restaurant at 12:54, 54 minutes after Family A was seated. Family C left at 13:18, 75 minutes later. Family A left at…