After being urged by 239 scientists across the globe, the World Health Organisation (WHO) acknowledged emerging evidence that the novel coronavirus may be airborne on 8 Juy.
A day later, on 9 July, they expanded their COVID-19 guidelines to include airborne transmission.
WHO had earlier said that COVID-19 may be spread through aerosol-generating procedures in hopsital settings, but have now added,
The WHO asserts the need for more studies and evidence to further assess the significance of airborne transmission.
It’s noteworthy that the WHO is open to suggestions and evidence from the scientific community, although, reportedly, experts maintain that airborne transmission is a small part of how the virus spreads. Droplet transmission is still the bigger way in which this spreads.
There is now mounting recognition that the virus can remain suspended in the air in smaller, tinier droplets called aerosols. These aerosols can be released even when an infected person breathes or talks. Anyone who inhales the same air can catch the disease.
This could explain how asymptomatic people who do not necessarily sneeze or cough could be carriers of the infection.
We don’t know for sure for how long the virus lingers. Experts agree that aerosols may not travel long distances or remain viable outdoors, The New York Times reported. But crowded spaces and poorly ventilated indoors could be breeding grounds for infection.
A single person can release enough aerosolized virus over time to infect many people in a closed room, which could even lead to a superspreader event.
But aerosols are smaller in size, so they contain lesser virus than big droplets. Even the tiniest measures can help.
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