CDC Removes Guidance on Airborne Spread of Coronavirus

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention abruptly removed information from its website that said COVID-19 can be spread through the air and can travel distances greater than six feet. It also removed statements that said the virus generally spreads when people inhale particles produced by others.

The information was added in an update over the weekend and removed from a page called “How COVID-19 Spreads” today. A banner at the top of the site now says the information was posted in error.

Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) tweeted that the change is “most likely a scandal.”

The experts were delighted to see the original update. Many have insisted for months that the virus can travel through tiny particles that float more slowly in the air, not just the larger droplets that hit the ground. That is why both ventilating indoor spaces (to remove residual virus) and wearing masks (to help block any exhaled particles) are as important, if not more, than maintaining a distance of six feet.

But the CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) have been reluctant to acknowledge the role that tiny airborne particles could play in spreading disease. At the beginning of the pandemic, the agencies concluded that the coronavirus was spread from person to person when they were in close contact with each other, through large, heavy droplets that were produced when someone who was sick coughed or sneezed. Research now indicates that there are other ways the virus could be transmitted, including through aerosols. But the guidance from the CDC and WHO hasn’t changed substantially, and the WHO wants to see more evidence before making a decision on transmission methods.

Removal of the guide from the CDC website will not change how many public health experts think about COVID-19; Regardless, they have been stressing the importance of ventilation for months, even without the agency’s backing. That does impact schools, businesses and other organizations that rely on CDC recommendations to make decisions about what precautions to take against a number of diseases, including COVID-19. If the agency emphasizes the importance of tiny droplets and encourages ventilation, it could change the way those groups prepare to keep people safe.

The radical change in recent days, even if it was accidental, also once again weakens trust in the agency. The CDC guide is generally reliable and is the first place doctors can go for help on managing a disease. During the pandemic, however, her orientations have been used as political football: for example,. the New York Times reported that the Department of Health and Human Services ignored scientific advice and posted guidance on the CDC website that said people without symptoms did not need to be tested for COVID-19. That statement went against public health recommendations and was revoked.

The CDC’s website says its recommendations on airborne coronavirus transmission are still being updated. It is unclear when the final version will be released.