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WHO acknowledges ‘Emerging Evidence’ of airborne spread of Coronavirus

By Sathish Mon -
  • Updated
  • :
  • 8th July 2020,
  • 5:07 PM

WHO acknowledges airborne spread of Coronavirus and would publish a scientific brief summarizing the modes of transmission.

WHO acknowledges ‘Emerging Evidence’ of airborne spread of Coronavirus

‘Emerging Evidence’ of airborne spread of Coronavirus

In a briefing on Tuesday, the world health body acknowledged the possibility of the airborne spread of Coronavirus. After hundreds of scientists urged WHO to review recommendations and guidelines for the prevention of the disease.

“We have been talking about the possibility of airborne transmission and aerosol transmission as one of the modes of transmission of COVID-19,” Maria Van Kerkhove, epidemiologist from WHO said in a news briefing.

WHO had previously claimed that Coronavirus spreads while an infected person sneezes, coughs or speaks, spreads through the small droplets expelled through the mouth or nose that quickly sinks to the ground.

Scientists claim Coronavirus is airborne

However, a group of 239 scientists from 32 countries have outlined the evidence for airborne spread of Coronavirus in an open letter published in the clinical Infectious disease Journal.

“We wanted them to acknowledge the evidence,” said Jose Jimenez, a chemist at the University of Colorado who signed the paper. Speaking at Tuesday’s briefing in Geneva, Benedetta Allegranzi, WHO’s technical lead for infection prevention and control, said there was evidence emerging of airborne transmission of Coronavirus, but that it was not definitive.

She further added, the possibility of airborne transmission cannot be ruled out especially in public settings in varied conditions – crowded, closed or poorly ventilated cannot be ruled out. However, she concluded stating the evidence need to be interpreted to support this.

Van Kerkhove, technical lead on the COVID-19 pandemic said WHO in coming days would publish a scientific brief summarizing modes of transmission. “A comprehensive package of interventions is required to be able to stop transmission,” she said.

Also Read: Scientists claim Coronavirus is airborne, ask WHO to revise recommendations

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