Can coronavirus really stay infectious in the air for 3 hours?

[WorriedGuy293]

I read online several times that coronavirus is 'airborne' which i definitely believe it is, but can it really live in the air for a long time even after the person has left the room? I read that it can survive in the air for 3 hours, but in that experiment, i believe they were using fans to blow it and keep it in the air, but im not sure. Meanwhile other sources i read told me it only stays airborne for 14 minutes.

Say for example, a girl named Marsha has coronavirus and her roommate, Jan, stays in her own bedroom. Marsha walks through the hallway and breaths in the hallway right outside of Jan's bedroom, then Marsha leaves and goes somewhere else. 2 hours later, Jan walks out of her bedroom and breaths the same air and walks though it, can Jan get coronavirus?

Is something like that actually possible?

[AnnieBrooke]

From what I have read, it is possible for the virus particles to stay airborne and able to infect someone for that long. But also that it takes more exposure than just one molecule of virus breathed in one time to reliably even get someone sick, and that the more exposure the more sick people get so the less exposure, the lighter case they might get. Also, it depends a lot on air flow in the apartment. If the windows are open a lot and the kitchen and bathroom fans vent to the outside, that is different than if the apartment is a tightly enclosed space that doesn't get outside air flow in any way.

The research says that most people who have gotten Covid-19 were those with close, constant contact with someone who is sick. Though Jan would not be in much danger if the only contact she ever had with Marsha was from the one-time sharing of a hallway hours later, she might actually be at higher risk than in the scenario you described, because roommates don't just share one hallway once, two hours later.

If you have a sick roommate, take strong precautions, keep the windows open, use the kitchen and bathroom fans to keep air flowing out, and get tested. (Also, I guess, hope you're in the 40% that they think might have some natural immunity due to earlier exposure to other coronaviruses. There are stories of one person in a couple getting sick while the other person does not, it is possible.)

[WorriedGuy293]

if Jan is scared of the coronavirus (LIKE I AM) that Definitely would be the only contact she had with Marsha.
so she would basically be at low risk?

[Paxiled]

You're asking a question that only has a theoretical answer, not a real one.  So far everyone who has been contact traced with the virus has been found to have close contact being breathed on by an infected person for a significant amount of time.  Theoretically, we're all washing our hands and surfaces because the virus can survive for awhile, but nobody, according to what I've heard, has been found yet who got it that way.  Airplanes would be the ideal place to get it in the conditions you state, but that hasn't happened.  We're all being told to be very cautious because we have no cure or treatment, but it will take time to know this kind of question.  Worrying about it, on the other hand, will definitely ruin your day or your week.  My own understanding based on listening to a lot of interviews with infectious disease specialists say this kind of contact is of minimal risk, if any.  That could be wrong, but again, they haven't found anyone who they can definitely say, this was the only contact they had with the disease and that's how they got it.  I personally am pretty cautious about it, but I wouldn't be at all worried about this kind of thing, but that's me.  

[AnnieBrooke]

Also, in your hypothetical with Marsha and Jan, you say that Marsha has Covid-19 but don't say if she is wearing a mask when she walks around the apartment. If that were the case (if she always wore a mask) and she walked down the hall and breathed outside Jan's bedroom door, I would not be worried at all if I were Jan.

[WorriedGuy293]

@AnnieBrooke in the hypothetical Marsha ISN'T wearing a mask and doesn't know she has coronavirus

[Paxiled]

Do you actually live in such a situation?  I mean, I'm guessing you don't, because if someone doesn't know she has the virus and hasn't been tested or gotten the results from a test that is actually accurate, well, nobody would know they were actually in that situation.  But you have been in that situation a lot unless you haven't gone outside your house and you live alone in all this time because the virus is everywhere.  We've all probably breathed in air that was recently occupied by someone with it and we all don't have it.  So I'm wondering, is this an anxiety problem or a covid problem?

[WorriedGuy293]

@Paxiled are you kidding me?? I DO live in the exact situation i just described! I'm Jan, and my stupid adoptive dad's brother i live with is Marsha. He comes back to the house every single day, and doesn't even wear a mask in the hallway. Luckily he doesn't sleep here at all, he sleeps at his girlfriend's house, but he still comes back to the house Every single day to do random stuff. Whenever he's here, I stay locked in my room with the door closed. And when he leaves, i wait 3 hours to leave my room because that's how long i read the coronavirus stays in the air for! that's why im asking that question!

that's the ONLY contact i ever have with him, and really the only contact i actually ever have with anyone. im trying to keep myself safe from coronavirus because im diabetic.

[WorriedGuy293]

@Paxiled  and also because i live in Florida which is the epicenter for coronavirus.

[AnnieBrooke]

You are living at home with your mom and her husband, and this is his brother who comes in the house (apparently lives there but isn't staying there at night because he stays with his girlfriend)? And because of your diabetes, you're afraid of him getting Covid-19 and not knowing it, and bringing it into the house?

Well, keep your windows open and the bathroom fan going when he is around, that will keep the air flow away from him and out. And talk to your mom or your stepdad, see if they can get the guy to wear a mask when in the house. If you explain it because of your diabetes they should be able to understand your concern. If they don't understand, keep the bathroom fan running when he's around. Are you old enough to move out or are you a minor?

[WorriedGuy293]

@AnnieBrooke
ummm it's just me and him, I NEVER said that my adoptive parents live with us so i have No idea where you're getting that from....
and i can't afford my own place

[Paxiled]

This is a bad situation, and the only way you can fix it is to get everyone to confront him and tell him he's threatening your life or you have to get out of that house.  You won't get it from the air the way you're afraid of, but if he's going out and not wearing a mask and then coming back, you just can't live with a clown like that.  None of us should.  I see these people all over, they're mostly young, and they're why we're still in this mess.  I get you have financial problems, but you also want to stay alive, so if he's not reachable you gotta get him outta there and get a different roommate or you gotta get out of there and find a different roommate.  Because now that you explain it, he's forcing you into permanent quarantine, or at least until there's a vaccine that both works and is available, and that's just not fair to you.  So while it's okay for you to be living with someone you know and have them not wear a mask at home, if they're not wearing one when they're not home and getting up close and personal with others, you're going to have to change this situation.  Again, it's not the way you think you're going to get it, but at some point he's going to breathe on you.  I hope you find a way to get out of this situation.

[WorriedGuy293]

@Paxiled

He doesn't come into my room at all and i NEVER go near him! the whole point of this post was for me to know how long the virus stays in the air after he's gone. this has been going on for 4 months and so far i been able to keep my distance from him. He doesn't want to come near me anyway!

all i was asking was the risk of it after he left and if the virus is still in the air after he leaves.

[Paxiled]

That part has been answered by everyone.  Was just trying to help, sorry.  Won't try to help anymore.

[AnxiousNoMore]

No one knows the definitive answer to your question about airborne transmission because the virus is invisible so no researcher really knows the moment the patient was infected, versus potential low concentration "hits" of virus that MAYBE didn't have enough to infect you. In fact, one (of many unproven Covid theories) is that people with minor symptoms (maybe asymptomatic too, I can't remember) had multiple low dose exposures that couldn't make you sick but built some immunity for the time you got a big enough dose of Covid to take hold.
Similarly, no one knows for sure that you need to wash but we all do it just in case it is a method of transmission.
Not sure about that bathroom fan idea. They often don't vent outside in cold climates anyway, just mix up the indoor air so the smell dissipates. Is there a reason you stay inside for so long when he arrives?  

[AnxiousNoMore]

The bathroom fan in my lower floor didn't vent outside, probably because no one wanted to cut a hole in the side of the house or the other reason might be because the pipe would have to be in the middle of the room above it to get to the roof. I have to insulate the attic in a week so will find out if the upper floor fans also don't exhaust.