What you need to know about the airborne transmission of COVID-19
The scientific debate over evidence that the coronavirus can float in the air for extended periods of time is intensifying. The World Health Organization has repeatedly downplayed the importance of such airborne transmission, instead emphasizing, with substantial evidence, the risks of close contact with infected people. But now, over 200 experts have signed an open letter to the WHO saying it’s time to recognize evidence that the coronavirus is airborne. The letter, published July 6 in Clinical Infectious Diseases, argues that the public health institution must update its prevention recommendations to help people avoid those risks. The WHO is aware of the letter and reviewing its contents, according to a July 6 Reuters report. Here’s what you need to know about the ongoing debate and what it means for fighting the spread of COVID-19. What is airborne transmission? At the beginning of the outbreak, scientists thought that the virus was spread largely through bits of...