Airborne transmission of novel CoronaVirus not supported by clear evidence
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Jul 7, 2020
Scientists from various parts of the world have said that novel coronavirus in smaller particles in the air can infect people.
As the material, this group of scientists believes that the virus-containing tiny droplets of liquid that are allocated when the infected cough or sneeze can stay in the air longer than suggested by who.
It's not a secret, but agencies seem to be afraid to talk about the airborne nature of the virus, said Donald Milton, a professor of environmental health at the University of Maryland who studies how viruses are transmitted.
However, Dr. Benedetta Allegranzi, the WHO's technical lead on infection control, told the New York Times that such evidence is unsatisfactory. "There is a strong debate on this", she said.
It's not the first there's been a push by the expert community to change the WHO's definitions and guidelines on the contagious virus that has infected more than 11 million and killed more than half a million.
The air flow from an air conditioning unit appeared to waft the coronavirus to several tables in a Chinese restaurant in January where patrons became infected, according to a study that appeared in Emerging Infectious Diseases.
The researchers say that the organization should review some of his recommendations. The agency emphasized that airborne transmission only happens in certain hospital settings.
Because of these findings, medical experts have highlighted the fact that poorly ventilated rooms, buses, planes and other confined spaces should be deemed highly risky even when people practice social distancing and stay six feet from one another.
He said, even airborne infections can not last long in the air.
So the current WHO recommendations emphasise the importance of rational and appropriate use of all personal protective equipment, not only masks, which requires correct and rigorous behaviour from health care workers. She said the United Nations health agency will try to broaden the committees' expertise and communications to make sure everyone is heard.
"We are 100 percent sure about this", said Prof.
Scientists in 2013 sent frozen samples to the Wuhan lab from a bat-infested former copper mine in southwest China after six men who had been clearing out bat feces there contracted a severe pneumonia, the newspaper said. The reason for this is because the light SARS-CoV-2 aerosols can hover in clusters in the air, which a person can walk into without knowing it.
"So at the moment we have to make a decision in the face of uncertainty, and my goodness, it's going to be a disastrous decision if we get it wrong".
He said the virus had not just been found in people's bodies but on wild-meat stalls - prompting him to call for an end to the consumption of wild animals.
