ESPCI web site
SARS-CoV-2 at the crossroads between epidemiology, biology and aerosol turbulence
Five epidemic waves have occurred in 2022, with the second autumn wave (BQ.1.1) currently in decline. The 2023 waves will be made up of a soup of sub-variants showing an evolutionary convergence giving them an immune escape in the upper respiratory tract (XBB.1.5 will become the dominant strain in january). I will provide a synthesis of the mode of transmission of SARS-CoV-2, detailing the evidence for a majority of transmission of the virus by aerosol - like cigarette smoke. I will then present a ’journal club’ on the associated short and long term pathologies of Covid lung, brain and cardiovascular disease, and what is known about vaccine protection. I will detail the three well-documented pathways of injury in the brain : direct infection, cytokine storm-induced immune dysregulation and cardiovascular effect. Finally, I will present the work carried out on behalf of French shopping centres on the transmission risk assessment and non-medical methods to effectively protect against airborne transmission. I will conclude with the role that we as physicists can play in the development and certification of reasonably priced air purifiers, e.g. marketable kits : HEPA filter and UV-C purifiers.