Story at a glance
- On Thursday, the World Health Organization acknowledged the possibility COVID-19 can be transmitted indoors by aerosol particles that linger in the air.
- The WHO said the aerosols could have been behind outbreaks of coronavirus in closed settings, such as restaurants, nightclubs and places of worship.
- Fauci on Thursday said it was a “reasonable assumption” that airborne transmission was taking place, but noted that not a lot of solid evidence was behind the claim, Reuters reports.
The nation’s top infectious disease expert on Friday said aerosol transmission of the coronavirus is “likely” to some degree, Reuters reports.
Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said Friday there is “still some question about aerosol but likely some degree of aerosol.”
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His comments came during a panel session at a coronavirus conference organized by the International AIDS Society, Reuters reports.
On Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledged the possibility COVID-19 can be transmitted indoors by tiny aerosol particles that linger in the air, after a letter from more than 200 scientists urged the agency to update its description of the virus’s spread to include the possibility of airborne infections.
The WHO said the aerosols could have been behind outbreaks of coronavirus in closed settings, such as restaurants, nightclubs and places of worship.
Fauci on Thursday said it was a “reasonable assumption” that airborne transmission was taking place, but noted that not a lot of solid evidence was behind the claim, Reuters reports.
The WHO has urged more studies on airborne transmission, but is still focused on the spread of the virus by larger respiratory droplets that are released when a person coughs or sneezes.
“Respiratory droplet transmission can occur when a person is in close contact (within 1 metre) with an infected person who has respiratory symptoms (e.g. coughing or sneezing) or who is talking or singing; in these circumstances, respiratory droplets that include virus can reach the mouth, nose or eyes of a susceptible person and can result in infection,” WHO writes.
WHO advised people to avoid crowded places and closed confined spaces with poor ventilation.
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FAUCI PREDICTS ANOTHER CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK IN THE FALL WITH A ‘VERY DIFFERENT’ OUTCOME
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