Coronavirus can float in airdrops and is likely to be transmitted that way, according to a group of international experts.
The group plans to publish an open letter Monday to the World Health Organization and other health agencies, asking them to be more direct in explaining how the virus can be transmitted in the air.
The letter is signed by 239 scientists from around the world.
It is not a secret; Health experts and countries around the world, such as Japan, have warned for months that the virus is transmitted by close contact in crowded spaces with poor ventilation due to how it travels through the drops.
But agencies appear to be afraid to talk about the nature of the virus in the air, said Donald Milton, one of the authors and a professor at the University of Maryland.
“The broadcast word on the air seems to be loaded,” Milton told CNN on Sunday. “I suppose we hope that the WHO will come and be more willing to recognize the important functions of aerosols, whether they want to call it air transmission or not.”
What does air transmission mean: The virus is carried in drops that come out of people’s mouths and noses, and the sizes of those drops vary.
Large droplets fall on surfaces quickly and can be picked up with the fingers and brought to the eyes, nose or mouth. Smaller drops can stay in the air longer and can be inhaled deeper into the lungs.
We still don’t clearly understand how important droplet size is for coronavirus transmission, Milton said, but studies show it’s a factor.
A noisy bar, where people must yell to be heard, is a perfect storm of close contact, poor air circulation, and people who generate lots of virus-carrying particles by talking, laughing, and yelling.
What we can do about it: Milton said the best way to protect against fine aerosols is to wear an N-95 respirator or better, which is rare in many places.
But there are other ways, too, including improved ventilation, as well as distancing and wearing masks. That is information that the average person can use and act upon.
“I am very concerned about the general public and schools and ventilation in school buildings and in dormitories on university campuses and in bars and churches and where people sing and where people congregate,” he said.
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