A Japanese supercomputer revealed that humidity plays a special role in the aerosol spread of coronavirus. The research giant Riken and Kobe University conducted a study, which was released on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
An employee of the German Climate Computing Center (DKRZ, or Deutsches Klimarechenzentrum), at the request of the photographer, stands at the "MistralÓ supercomputer at the DKRZ on June 7, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany. The DKRZ provides HPC (high performance computing) and associated services for climate research institutes in Germany. Its high performance computer and storage systems have been specifically selected with respect to climate and Earth system modeling. With a total of 100,000 processor cores, Mistral has a peak performance of 3.6 PetaFLOPS. With a capacity of 54 PBytes, its parallel file system is currently one of the largest in the world.
Using the Fugaku supercomputer, the researchers found out that humidifiers can help prevent aerosol dispersion and limit the spread of COVID-19 infections, which causes the ongoing global pandemic. They used the technology to model the flow and emission of virus-like particles from infected people in different indoor environments.
According to Reuters' latest report, the study revealed that air humidity of lower than 30% contains two times the amount of aerosolized particles, compared to levels of 60% or higher.
Masks are more effected than face shields
The study didn't only focused on air humidity, but it also showed that face masks are still more effective in preventing the spread of aerosols than clear face shields.
A "Mistral" supercomputer, installed in 2016, at the German Climate Computing Center (DKRZ, or Deutsches Klimarechenzentrum) on June 7, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany. The DKRZ provides HPC (high performance computing) and associated services for climate research institutes in Germany. Its high performance computer and storage systems have been specifically selected with respect to climate and Earth system modeling. With a total of 100,000 processor cores, Mistral has a peak performance of 3.6 PetaFLOPS. With a capacity of 54 PBytes, its parallel file system is currently one of the largest in the world.
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Not only that, but the scientists also revealed that those people are more at risk from individuals positioned on their left and right sides than those who are across the table in dining areas.
The study also suggested that singers in choruses should be spaced out and limited.
COVID-19 can spread through air
According to Yahoo News' latest report, many health experts suggested that COVID-19 can spread through air with the help of aerosol particles. Because of the medical experts' growing consensus, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidance.
CDC now states that viral disease can linger in the air for hours. On the other hand, the Japanese supercomputer was previously used to model contagion conditions in workspaces, classrooms, and trains.
Its findings may provide important new information to help spread COVID-19 infections.
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Written by: Giuliano de Leon.
