Highlight:
Efficient sampling tools for SARS-CoV-2 aerosol are not readily available around the world.
Aerosol viability of SARS-CoV-2 is directly impacted by temperature, humidity, sunlight and pollutants such as ozone.
On-site SARS-CoV-2 aerosol monitoring and rapid COVID-19 screening are greatly needed for protecting people from reopening economy.
Current understanding of transmission mechanisms, knowledge gaps and a to-do list in combating COVID-19 pandemic are presented.
Abstract: Aerosol transmission has been officially recognized by the world health authority resulting from its overwhelming experimental and epidemiological evidences. Despite substantial progress, few additional actions were taken to prevent aerosol transmission, and many key scientific questions still await urgent investigations. The grand challenge, i.e., effective control of aerosol transmission of COVID-19, remains unsolved. A better understanding of the viral shedding into the air has been developed, but its temporal pattern is largely unknown. Sampling tools, as one of the critical elements for studying SARS-CoV-2 aerosol, are not readily available around the world. Many of them are less capable of preserving the viability of SARS-CoV-2, thus offering no clues about viral infectivity. As evidenced, the viability of SARS-CoV-2 is also directly impacted by temperature, humidity, sunlight, and pollutants. For SARS-CoV-2 aerosol detection, liquid samplers, together with real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), are currently used in certain enclosed or semi-enclosed environments. Sensitive and rapid COVID-19 screening technologies are in great need. Among others, the breath-borne-based method emerges with global attention due to its advantages in sample collection and early disease detection. To collectively confront these challenges, scientists from different fields around the world need to fight together for the welfare of mankind. This review summarized the current understanding of the aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and identified the key knowledge gaps and a to-do list. This review also serves as a call for efforts to develop technologies to better protect the people in a forthcoming reopening world.
Keywords: Aerosol Transmission; SARS-CoV-2; Exhaled Breath; Aerosol Detection
DOI: 10.1016/j.eehl.2022.03.001
