WHO issues new coronavirus guidance, but stops short of confirming airborne transmission
- Top US expert Dr Fauci says it’s a ‘reasonable assumption’ that aerosol spread does occur, which is why health officials are pushing for use of face masks
- Any change in WHO’s assessment of risk of transmission might mean governments would have to adjust their public health measures
The World Health Organisation on Thursday released new guidelines on the transmission of the novel coronavirus that acknowledge some reports of airborne transmission of the virus that causes Covid-19, but stopped short of confirming that the virus spreads through the air.
In its latest transmission guidance, the WHO acknowledged that some outbreak reports related to indoor crowded spaces have suggested the possibility of aerosol transmission, such as during choir practice, in restaurants or in fitness classes.
But the WHO said more research is “urgently needed to investigate such instances and assess their significance for transmission of Covid-19”.
Based on its review of the current evidence, the WHO said the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19 spreads between people through direct or indirect contact with contaminated surfaces or close contact with infected people who spread the virus through saliva, respiratory secretions or droplets released when an infected person coughs, sneezes, speaks or sings.
01:48
Worldwide reported coronavirus infections top 12 million
The report follows an open letter from scientists who specialise in the spread of disease in the air – so-called aerobiologists – that urged the global body to update its guidance on how the respiratory disease spreads to include aerosol transmission.
“This is a move in the right direction, albeit a small one. It is becoming clear that the pandemic is driven by super-spreading events, and that the best explanation for many of those events is aerosol transmission,” said Jose Jimenez, a chemist at the University of Colorado who signed the letter, which was published on Monday in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.