An aerosol is a respiratory droplet so small that it can linger in the air.
- We should avoid crowded places, places of close contact, and closed or poorly ventilated spaces.
- WHO recognizes that airborne transmission can occur.
After several procrastination, the WHO finally clarified its position. The coronavirus may well linger in the air after meetings are over, spreading from person to person. “It is satisfying that the WHO finally recognizes that airborne transmission can occur, although the scientific evidence still needs to be consolidated,” said Linsey Marr, aerosol expert at Virginia Tech.
Avoid crowded places
In addition to avoiding close contact with infected people and washing our hands, we should “avoid crowded places, places of close contact and closed or poorly ventilated spaces”, continues the WHO. Homes and offices should also ensure good ventilation.
Not cultivable
The health agency also confirmed that the virus can be spread by asymptomatic people, although this is likely very rare. “Infected people can transmit the virus both when they have symptoms and when they don’t,” a statement read.
Earlier in the week, 239 scientists from 32 countries sent an open letter to the WHO. They report there elements which suggest that SARS-CoV-2 could be spread by air, with the only possible protection being the wearing of a mask for everyone.
According to another studypublished by Oxford University Press and carried out in an English hospital at the height of the epidemic, the virus diffuses in aerosol but is not cultivable.
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