Research shows that performers can sing or play softly to reduce the risk of Covid. musics

Sing quietly and don’t speak out loud to reduce the risk of Covid-19’s spread, new research suggests and provides a hope for musicians with limited public performance.

Music makers are hit hard by coronavirus pandemics, and it is believed that songs, playing woodwinds and brass instruments are at high risk of spreading the disease. Occurrence In choir..

As a result, until recently, Britain only allowed professional rehearsals and outdoor performances.

But this study offers hope for performers who are keen to return to the stage as soon as possible.

Jonathan Reed, a professor of physics and chemistry at the University of Bristol and co-author of research, said: “Singing a little more softly can really reduce your risk.”

In studies that have not been peer-reviewedThe team reports how they asked 25 professional singers to breathe, talk, cough and sing into the funnel. Next, we measured the mass of small droplets suspended in the air, known as aerosols. The experiment was conducted in an orthopedic operating room and is the setting chosen due to the absence of background aerosol.

One route that Covid-19 diffuses goes through large droplets, but is mainly produced when someone coughs and falls to the ground within a few meters. aerosol Was another possible routeBe aware, such small droplets may remain in the air.

The team found that the results of their study differed among participants, but singing and speaking at the lowest volume produced aerosols as much as breathing.

However, when the team asked participants to sing Happy Birthday at varying volumes, they found that the maximum singing and speaking (90-100 dB) were about 36 and 24 times the mass of the aerosol produced by breathing, respectively. Found to generate.

“The amount of activity is the main factor controlling the mass of the aerosol produced, whether it is speaking quietly, loudly, or singing loud,” Reed says and sings. It produces a slightly higher mass of aerosol while speaking, at least when the volume is louder than speaking, the difference is very small compared to the effect of volume.

Co-author Declan Costello, an ear, nose, and throat surgeon at Wexham Park Hospital, found that other factors play an important role in the risk of infection, such as space size, ventilation, and duration of loud vocalizations. I pointed out.

In other words, singing in the cathedral may lower your risk of spreading Covid-19 than screaming throughout a crowded pub. “Intuitively, assuming people are talking and singing at the same kind of volume, that’s the case,” Costello said.

However, this study has its limitations. We did not consider the actual risk of infection posed by the amount of virus contained in the aerosol or the level of aerosol generated.

Dr. Juliantan, Emeritus Associate Professor of Respiratory Science, said: At Leicester University, where I’m not involved in work.

The team says their findings have already contributed New guidance for the UK has been released August 15, by the Digital, Cultural, Media, and Sports Ministry, which jointly supported the study.

“The culture secretary, Oliver Dauden, said: “We know that song is an important passion and entertainment for many who are confident that we welcome the results of this important study. We work closely with health professionals throughout this crisis. We have updated our guidance in light of these discoveries to better understand Covid-19 and to help people play safely together.”

“It’s a big deal,” said John Gill Hooley, Artistic and Executive Director of Wigmore Hall, London. “The music industry owes a great deal of debt to Declan Costello and his research colleagues who did all this work for free. This meant that they could get a larger chamber group on stage, and You don’t have to lose 6 rows.”

Alex Beard, CEO of the Royal Opera House, said that the relaxation of the social distance rule from 3 meters to 2 meters for singers, woodwinds and brass players would allow more players to play along with “big “The advance” said in October of this year the theater pit to resume live events with a socially distant audience.