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Air conditioners and fans could spread COVID farther, experts say

Experts say while the droplets that could be carrying COVID-19 stay in the same room, fans and A/C make them move farther.

TAMPA, Fla. — As parts of the Tampa Bay area are under a heat advisory Wednesday, many of you are likely inside with your air conditioners cranked up.

Can A/C make germs and COVID-19 spread farther?

"The air is traveling in one direction, someone coughs, it can spread through that kind of motion in the air," Dr. Michael Teng, a virologist at the University of South Florida, said.

Teng says while the droplets that could be carrying COVID-19 stay in the same room, fans and A/C can make them move farther.

"It doesn’t have to be an air conditioner, it could be a fan, these are really small droplets so they can travel a little bit more distance if you’re using a fan," Teng said.

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"Most of our rooms are not that big but you could easily get droplets traveling 10 feet with a good fan or air conditioner," he said.

All the more reason, he says, to mask up and wash your hands frequently if you have to leave your home—and limit your time in public places if you can.

"The other thing about the respiratory droplets is time, if it’s a brief interaction it’s less likely but if you’re on a couch with someone for two hours, you have a greater chance of exposure if someone is positive," he said.

He says this is also true of other illnesses like the flu.

Teng explained hospitals and emergency rooms have specialized HVAC systems but says switching to systems like this are extremely expensive.

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