Johannesburg – A team from the University of Johannesburg’s engineering faculty and the Perinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU) at the University of the Witwatersrand has developed technology that seeks to estimate the time evolving probability of Covid-19 infection using droplets and surface films in selected environments.
With South Africa having entered a second wave of the pandemic which has already seen nearly 861 000 people infected since March, the project is borne out of the fact that there are many situations where it is not possible to apply the 2m physical distancing rule aimed at curbing transmissions, said Simon Connell, a professor of physics at UJ.
“We need to understand what happens to the time evolution of the virus in droplets entrained in fluid flows in enclosed spaces,” Connell said in a statement issued by the university on Monday.
“Furthermore, it is important to understand what the effects of engineered medical interventions are, and how can they be optimised.”
The research team is developing tools that are able to predict the evolving infectiousness of Covid-19 contained in respiratory droplets, after they are coughed or sneezed out. Tuberculosis (TB) has the same respiratory droplet transmission as the coronavirus.
“With our modern data intensive approach, we are able to collect, quantify and compare data on the droplet infectiousness (airborne and surface contamination) based on local environmental conditions,” said Connell.
The technology could be deployed in places where people congregate, such as schools, universities, taxi ranks or inside minibus taxis as well as in clinics, hospitals, mines and care homes.
“Accurate prediction of the infection risk in these places will allow us to model environmental modifications – such as extraction fans, UV light and strategically placed air vents – that could prevent the transmission of both Covid-19 and TB,” said PHRU chief executive Professor Neil Martinson.
African News Agency (ANA)