MIT App Calculates Physics-Based Coronavirus Aerosol Risk

Two MIT professors proposed in the journal PNAS on April 15, 2021, a new approach to estimating a person's risks of exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 under different indoor settings.

The new MIT guideline suggests a limit for exposure time, based on the number of people, the size of the space, the kinds of activity, whether masks are worn, and the ventilation and filtration rates.

This MIT model offers a detailed, physics-based guideline for policymakers, businesses, schools, and individuals to gauge their own risks.

'One clear thing, they say, is that simple rules, based on distance or capacity limits on certain types of businesses, don’t reflect the full picture of the risk in a given setting. In some cases, that risk may be higher than those simple rules convey; in others, it may be lower, stated these researchers in an April 15th MIT press statement.

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