WHO Concedes That ‘Emerging Evidence’ Demonstrates Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2

The World Health Organization (WHO) previously asserted that the novel coronavirus was spread through droplets (i.e., from coughing, sneezing) that quickly dissipate, and not floating droplets that remain in the air. However, a group of more than 200 scientists published a letter on July 6 in Clinical Infectious Diseases that stated the opposite. The scientists noted a growing body of evidence demonstrating that SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted via floating particles that linger in the air. The letter asked WHO to revise its guidelines based on the possibility that airborne transmission is likely. At a briefing on July 7, WHO representative Benedetta Allegranzi, MD, DTM&H, agreed that “emerging evidence” does show the possibility of airborne transmission, but that the evidence is not “definitive.” Read more here.