LONDON (AP) – More than 200 scientists have asked the World Health Organization and others to recognize that the coronavirus can spread in the air, a change that could alter some of the current measures being taken to stop the pandemic.
In a letter published this week in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, two scientists from Australia and the United States wrote that studies have shown “beyond reasonable doubt that viruses are released during exhalation, speaking and coughing in droplets enough small enough to stay airborne. “That means people in certain indoor conditions may have a higher risk of infection than previously thought.
The WHO has long maintained that COVID-19 is transmitted through larger respiratory drops, most often when people cough or sneeze, which fall to the ground. The possibility of airborne transmission has been ruled out, except for certain high-risk medical procedures, such as when patients are first placed on breathing machines.
In a statement Monday, the UN health agency said it was aware of the article and was reviewing it with technical experts.
The WHO has been criticized in recent weeks and months for its apparent divergence from the scientific community. For months, the organization refused to recommend the use of masks, in part for lack of supplies, and also continued to describe the transmission of COVID-19 from people without symptoms as “rare.”
The letter was endorsed by 239 scientists from a variety of fields. He stated that the question of whether or not COVID-19 was in the air was of “greater importance” as many countries suspend restrictive blocking measures.
The authors cited previous studies suggesting that the germs closely related to the new virus were transmitted by airborne transmission. They said “there are many reasons to expect” that the coronavirus will behave similarly. They also cited a practice from the Washington State Choir and research into a poorly ventilated restaurant in Guangzhou, China, each of which raised the possibility of airborne droplet infections.
“We are concerned that the lack of recognition of the risk of airborne transmission of COVID-19 and the lack of clear recommendations on control measures against the airborne virus will have significant consequences,” the scientists wrote. “People may think they are fully protected by adhering to current recommendations, but in fact, additional airborne interventions are needed.”
Scientists around the world have been working furiously to understand the new virus. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is believed to jump primarily from person to person through close contact, but adds: “We are still learning about how the virus spreads.”
Martin McKee, a professor of European Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who was not linked to the letter, said the scientists’ arguments sounded “completely reasonable”.
“Part of the problem is that everyone at WHO was moving with the influenza paradigm, although we know there are many differences between influenza and coronaviruses,” he said.
McKee noted that with the recent reopening of its pubs, restaurants and lounges in Britain, the possibility of airborne coronavirus transmission could mean that more stringent interventions are needed indoors, including more use of masks and continued physical distancing.
“We are accumulating evidence of over-diffusion events taking place indoors where there are large numbers of people in confined spaces,” he said. “Many of these are in exactly the circumstances that governments now want to open up.”
.
