The Latest: So… it’s probably airborne
Dear Reader,
The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledged this week that the coronavirus can linger in the air in crowded indoor spaces — and spread. This comes after more than 200 scientists urged the organization to consider the evidence that the virus can be airborne.
As my colleague Yasmin Tayag reports, while the WHO maintains that Covid-19 is primarily spread through large droplets expelled from sneezes and coughs that fall onto surfaces and expose people who come into close contact, the group now acknowledges that aerosol transmission indoors “cannot be ruled out.”
What does that mean for you? The same precautions many are taking now still apply. You should wear a mask! Especially indoors. Physical distancing and hand washing are also still important.
Here’s what else is new:
- Case count: There are over 3.1 million confirmed cases in the U.S. and over 12.2 million confirmed cases worldwide. So far over 133,290 Americans have died from Covid-19.
- States that reopened early are experiencing surges: The New York Times reports that at least six states set single-day case records on Thursday. They are: Alabama, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Oregon, and Texas.
Follow our Medium Coronavirus Blog for regular updates, and read some of the essential stories we’ve curated below.
Be well,
Alexandra Sifferlin
Editor, Medium Coronavirus Blog
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A powerful perspective
“Given the challenge with communications during this pandemic, and given that certain institutions have significant political limitations that impact the scope of their communications, such as CDC, the role of scientists and doctors to help fill that gap is immense. In that way, I feel like my relationship with social media has changed because there is a lot more weight and consequence to everything I write or tweet, and I take that very seriously.”
— Abraar Karan, MD, an internal medicine doctor at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, This Is What Happens When You Can’t Trust Official Coronavirus Advice
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