The WHO Acknowledges That Covid-19 Can Be Airborne Indoors
Experts have criticized the organization for not doing so sooner
This week, the World Health Organization (WHO) was widely criticized by science experts for failing to acknowledge that the coronavirus could be transmitted through the air in indoor spaces.
A paper authored by 239 experts, accepted into the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases on Monday, argued that, “beyond any reasonable doubt,” the coronavirus could be spread through tiny droplets released when people breathe, talk, and cough. Crucially, it pointed out that these droplets could “remain aloft in air” and pose a risk of exposure even at distances beyond six feet. On Tuesday, the WHO said it would revisit the evidence, and the organization’s head of infection prevention and control, Benedetta Allegranzi, MD, acknowledged that the possibility of airborne transmission in “crowded, closed, poorly ventilated settings, cannot be ruled out.”
On Thursday, the WHO formally updated its stance on airborne transmission through a new Q&A…
