Geneva: As the COVID-19 pandemic deepens, the World Health Organization said it acknowledges the emerging evidence that the deadly and infectious coronavirus may be transmitted through the air.
During a news briefing on Tuesday, WHO health experts responded to an open letter signed by 239 scientists the day prior urging the U.N. body to recognize the potential for airborne spread of COVID-19 and to adopt measures to prevent such transmission.
Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist and the WHO’s technical lead for COVID-19, said WHO health experts have been reviewing the evidence and discussing the possibility of airborne transmission of COVID-19 and have been working on a scientific brief summarizing their findings to be released in the coming days.
The WHO has said the disease is transferable through droplets, but that form of transmission is different from airborne transmission. Airborne transmission of COVID-19 is possible, the WHO said, under specific circumstances and settings, especially in healthcare facilities, in which procedures or treatments generate aerosols.
In the letter, the scientists said their studies have demonstrated “beyond any reasonable doubt” that COVID-19 is released during breathing, talking and coughing as microdroplets small enough to remain aloft in the air, posing a risk of airborne infection beyond three to 6.5 feet from the infected person, particularly indoors.
The scientists said the reluctance of health organizations, including the WHO, to acknowledge airborne transmission outside those specific healthcare settings is concerning and warned that “the lack of clear recommendations on the control measures against the airborne virus will have significant consequences.”
