As the pandemic continue to rage, new studies by experts in China has found that air-conditioners could be facilitating the spread the virus droplets after a restaurant in Guangzhou had 3 family infection cases early this year.
The novel coronavirus could be spread through air-conditioners. Early this year, a restaurant in Guangzhou had 3 cases of family cluster infections. The 3 families were sitting in the same area with a meter of distance apart from each table. One member from family A had a fever that night and was confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 after he went to the hospital. Later, members of family B and C were infected too. This has led researchers to suspect that the air-conditioner was the culprit. Doctors in Taiwan said if a confirmed patient coughs or sneezes, the direction of airflow from the air-conditioner could be the key in spreading the virus.
The droplets would follow where the airflow goes and extend their travel distances. Therefore if someone is coughing or sneezing and there happens to be an active airflow, then the droplets could be blown to 7 or 8 meters away.
Chinese Scientists have found in a new study that antihypertensive drugs seems to slow down the progressive rate of severe pneumonia. The research team did experiments on 564 patients with COVID-19 and found that hypertensive patients who were taking Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACEI) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) were less likely to have complications from pneumonia. However doctors in Taiwan are more reserved about the result and said more clinical evidence are needed.
Clinically, as of now it is found that hydroxychloroquine and Zithromax or even Remdesivir work better on COVID-19 patients.
Doctor stressed currently only hydroxychloroquine and Remdesivir were proven to be effective in treating COVID-19 and more clinical trials are needed for other drugs. He suggests people to avoid sitting under air-conditioner vents in confined spaces to avoid the spread of the virus.
新型冠狀病毒很可能透過空調飛沫傳播！中國廣州一家餐廳，今年初發生三起家庭群聚感染事件，當時前往消費的三個家庭，都坐在同一區，桌間距離約1公尺，當天晚上A家其中一人出現發燒，就醫後確診，後來B家、C家也陸續有人確診，研究人員懷疑是空調惹的禍。對此國內醫師表示，若有確診者咳嗽或打噴嚏，空調的氣流方向，很可能是傳播的關鍵。
台灣兒科醫學會常務理事 林應然表示：「這些飛沫會順著風的方向，延長的更後面去。所以常常，你如果是有人剛好咳嗽、打噴嚏，這個飛沫，如果在有風的狀況之下，有時候可以吹到七、八公尺外，都可能的。」
此外，中國科學家最新研究也發現，降血壓藥物疑似可以減緩重症肺炎惡化，研究團隊針對564例武漢肺炎患者進行實驗，發現使用「血管張力素轉換酶抑制劑」ACEI，或「血管張力素受體阻斷劑」ARB的高血壓患者，比較不易有肺炎併發症，不過國內醫師持保留態度，認為還需更多臨床實證。
台安醫院心導管室主任 林謂文表示：「現在比較發現說，在臨床比較有效果，還是以羥氯奎寧，跟所謂的日舒，甚至瑞德西韋等等這類藥物，感覺上，對病人是稍微比較有幫助的。」
醫師強調，目前只有「羥氯奎寧」及「瑞德西韋」兩種藥物，被初步證實、可有效治療武漢肺炎，其他藥物還需更多臨床試驗。另外也建議民眾，密閉空間開空調時，儘可能不要坐在下風出口處，以免病毒吹散、傳播更快更遠。