Men over 6ft tall are twice as likely to catch coronavirus, according to a study which adds weight to the theory the disease is airborne.

Data from 2,000 people in the UK and US showed the tallest men were more at risk of becoming infected. Women also had higher odds if they were over 6ft but there were so few in the study, the results are not reliable.

The researchers said the findings do not necessarily mean tall people are genetically more vulnerable to Covid-19. Instead, the team believe the results indicate it spreads through tiny particles called aerosols that linger in the air after being exhaled.

Health officials have previously said they believe the virus is transmitting through large droplets which travel short distances before plummeting downwards, landing on the ground or a surface.

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The scientists behind the study, led by the University of Oxford, said height would not make a difference if coronavirus spread this way, indicating it is transmitting through air.

‘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,’ Professor Evan Kontopantelis, of the University of Manchester, told the Daily Telegraph.

‘This has been suggested by other studies, but our method of confirmation is novel.’

The World Health Organisation (WHO) admitted earlier this month that there is ‘evidence emerging’ that the coronavirus can be spread through the air.

They previously said the virus spreads primarily through droplets after an infected person coughs or sneezes. The droplets are thought to sink to the ground or land on surfaces, where the virus can be transmitted.

There have been calls for the WHO to update its guidance to warn the infection can linger in the air and be inhaled by others.

Proff Kobtopantelis said the study showed the face masks may be an even more vital prevention method than social distancing.

He said: ‘Though social distancing is still important, because transmission by droplets is still likely to occur, it does suggest that mask-wearing may be just as — if not more — effective in prevention. But also, air purification in interior spaces should be further explored.’

The survey results were analysed by a team of data scientists in the UK, Norway and the US.

Though the paper is yet to be peer reviewed, the authors feel its implications on the debate over aerosol transmission should be made available to the wider community as societies start to reopen.

The study also explored the impact of circumstances and working conditions.It found living in shared accommodation and using public transport for work were significant factors in catching the disease.

Commenting on the findings, Professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, Paul Hunter, said they should be interpreted ‘with caution.’

‘The authors analysed a substantial number of possible predictors for a range of outcome measures,’ he said.

‘One of the biggest mistakes that people make with epidemiological surveys is multiple hypothesis testing. The more hypothesis tests you do the more likely you are to flag up associations that have only arisen by chance. 

‘In my view this analysis does not even provide convincing evidence that tall people are protected from the infection never mind whether this means that there is aerosol transmission.’ 

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