A collaborative study by global researchers and experts from University of Manchester and Open University showed that people, especially men, who stand over six feet have higher chances of testing positive for COVID-19.
A total of 2,000 people from the United Kingdom participated in the survey to determine whether or not personal attributes, work and living practices affect viral transmission.
According to the results, taller men are twice as likely to be vulnerable. While not enough women were surveyed to derive a reliable conclusion, the study still suggested they have higher odds than most people below six feet tall.
Just to be clear, this doesn’t have anything to do with genetics.
Professor Evan Kontopantelis of the University of Manchester said height wouldn’t really be a factor if the virus can solely be spread through droplet inhalation. But since there’s enough evidence suggesting COVID-19 is airborne, taller people are then more susceptible to the virus.
Airborne #COVID19 transmission can occur in health care settings where specific medical procedures generate very small droplets – aerosols. https://t.co/WHHe4vuyF8
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 9, 2020
“The results of this survey in terms of associations between height and diagnosis suggest downward droplet transmission is not the only transmission mechanism and aerosol transmission is possible,” said the professor.
And as much as physical distancing is an effective way to avoid the disease, the study also found that wearing masks when going out is “just as effective—if not more.”
Header photo courtesy by Macau Photo Agency on Unsplash
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