Can Air Conditioning Spread COVID-19? Here's What Experts Say

It helps to understand a little about droplets—the particles (containing mostly water, but also any pathogens our bodies may be infected with, such as the new coronavirus) that we expel when we breathe, talk, cough and sneeze. A single cough releases about 3,000 droplets, while a single sneeze can release about 30,000, according to a blog post that went viral written by Erin Bromage, a comparative immunologist and professor of biology specializing in immunology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Different actions produce different sizes of droplets, which can travel varying distances. When an AC unit is turned on, air flow from the vent pushes these droplets through the air and potentially into other people. “The air flow direction is what matters,” adds Butte.  Health