WHO Officials Rethinking How COVID-19 Spread In The Air

The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging health experts to take heed as they say they have found “emerging evidence” that COVID-19 could be airborne. The airborne transmission could not be ruled out in crowded, closed or poorly ventilated settings, an official said.

If the evidence is confirmed, it may affect guidelines for indoor spaces. An open letter from more than 200 scientists had accused the WHO of underestimating the possibility of airborne transmission, BBC shared.

“We have been talking about the possibility of airborne transmission and aerosol transmission as one of the modes of transmission of COVID-19,” Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead on the COVID-19 pandemic at the WHO said at a news conference.

Benedetta Allegranzi, the WHO’s technical lead for infection prevention and control, said there was evidence emerging of airborne transmission.

Allegranzi said that there is “…The possibility of airborne transmission in public settings – especially in very specific conditions, crowded, closed, poorly ventilated settings that have been described, cannot be ruled out,” she said.

“However, the evidence needs to be gathered and interpreted, and we continue to support this.”