A Look at DESE's Cited Sources: Footnote #16 - Identifying airborne transmission as the dominant route for the spread of COVID-19

DESE Claim: "As the primary route of transmission for COVID-19 is respiratory"

Cited Source: Zhang, Renyi, et al. "Identifying airborne transmission as the dominant route for the spread of COVID-19." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2020).

Note: the DESE report citation does not include a link or DOI to find the article I was able to Google my way to the digital version of the source here.

Peer Reviewed?: Yes (2 reviewers listed in article)

Study Methodology: Data analysis of public health data 

Notes: This study looks at trends in public health data in different disease epicenters over time. The data shows that certain public health measures, such as face coverings, altered the course of outbreaks. "Our work also highlights the necessity that sound science is essential in decision-making for the current and future public health pandemics." Based on the impact different mitigation measures had on the outbreak, the researchers were able to determine that airborne transmission is dominant, and face coverings work to reduce the spread.

Supports DESE Claim?: Yes.