USU Engineering Professor Key in Creation of COVID-19 Transmission Tool
Som Dutta, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, recently collaborated on a published article in Scientific Advances on the creation of a COVID-19 model and its ability to compare risk of SARS-CoV in various scenarios.
The COVID-19 Exposure Rate Assessment Tool incorporates many factors including the emission rate of the virus, degradation and removal, duration, filtration and much more. Since COVID-19 is an airborne virus, the biggest concern was reducing viral exposure.
Dutta is a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering who focuses his research on items such as computational fluid dynamics, high performance computing and more.
Given the numerous factors that affect exposure to the virus, reports or other assessments were insufficient when trying to compare the hundreds of mitigation options. Researchers also observed guidelines put out by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention but found that the qualitative nature made it difficult to view exposure risk in multiple settings.
“The global and local transmission dynamics drove an urgent need for assessing potential risk of transmission while performing different activities in various facilities,” Dutta wrote. “Public health officials have had to reevaluate how the public should interact to reduce and contain viral spread.”
The goal was to develop a “simple-to-use” exposure and risk assessment tool to benefit decision makers such as businesses or schools to help reduce viral exposure of COVID-19. One example was NASA Ames Research Center, in which the COVID-19 Exposure Rate Assessment Tool helped to determine the maximum number of personnel that could be allowed in each location with the lowest exposure rate while still allowing work to be performed.
When social distancing could not be performed, conditions increased exposure risk of COVID-19 but was mitigated by lowering project duration. Breathing rate and vocalization also helped determine viral exposure.
Additionally, the assessment tool was also effective in allocating project resources and personal protection equipment where it would be most beneficial. The Ames Research Center used the tool to figure out whether limited KN95 or N95 masks would be effective as well as the decision to purchase portable air cleaners. Since it was different by department, the assessment tool then helped with budget spending accordingly.
More information about the paper can be found at https://www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/sciadv.abq0593.
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Writer: Sydney Dahle, 435-797-7512, sydney.dahle@usu.edu
Contact: Som Dutta, 435-797-0583, som.dutta@usu.edu