Which scenario makes a virus airborne?

• A. The virus is transmitted through water
• B. A person with the virus coughs or sneezes without covering the mouth and nose
• C. The virus is spread by touching objects
• D. The virus only spreads at night

Answer: (B)

Airborne transmission happens when respiratory particles released into the air are inhaled by others. When a person with the virus coughs or sneezes without covering the mouth and nose, they eject droplets and small aerosols that carry the virus into the surrounding air. Those particles can be breathed in by nearby people and, especially the smaller aerosols, can linger in the air and travel with air currents. This is why coughing or sneezing without covering up is the scenario that enables airborne spread.

The other scenarios aren’t about airborne spread: water transmission involves contaminated water, touching objects leads to surface (fomite) transmission, and spreading only at night isn’t a recognized transmission route.