WHO responds to a joint letter on the risk of air transmission of the new coronavirus

recently, 239 scientists from 32 countries issued an open letter calling on WHO to pay more attention to the risk of air-borne new coronavirus. Scientists say the risk of the new coronavirus spreading through the air was previously underestimated. A WHO spokesman said technical experts were being asked to review the contents of the letter.the
published by the 239 scientists will be published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, according to a new report by several scientists. Tiny particles of the virus released by infected people when they sneeze or cough may stay in the air longer than currently thought, they said in the letter. They said WHO should pay more attention to the risk of the virus spreading in the air and recommended that it review it and revise the new guidelines for the prevention and control of coronavirus.
previously, WHO believed that the new coronavirus is mainly transmitted from person to person through respiratory droplets. Aerosols may be produced only in certain circumstances, such as when the patient is intived, and air transmission may occur.
, however, the scientists believe that there are smaller particles that can stay in the air longer, travel farther through the air, and be inhaled by the body to cause infection. They claim that there is new evidence that air transmission may be more of a concern than droplet propagation.
Javed, an infectious disease consultant at Cambridge University Hospital, said it was possible for the virus to spread through the air, but there was no evidence of how long it would stay in the air.WHO noted in a scientific briefing on its website that the new coronavirus is mainly transmitted from person to person through droplets. On this basis, WHO cautions against maintaining a safe distance of at least one meter between people and washing their hands frequently.
WHO reported on its official website at the end of March that air transmission was different from droplet transmission. Air propagation refers to microorganisms present in the nuclei of droplets (usually thought to be particles less than 5 microns in diameter) that stay in the air for a long time and spread to others over a distance of more than 1 meter.
air
the main mode of transmission of the new coronavirus, more stringent precautions must be taken, according to the New York Times. For example, even if you're keeping a social distance indoors, you'll still have to wear a mask, ventilation systems in schools, nursing homes, etc. may need to add new filters, and public places may need to use virus-killing UV lamps.As of 29 June, WHO, in its updated manual on the prevention of new coronavirus transmission, concluded that so-called "air transmission" could only occur in environments where aerosols or droplets of less than 5 microns of the virus were produced.
we are aware of this open letter and are asking technical experts to conduct a scientific review of its contents," said Tariq Yasharevich, a spokesman for the World Health Organization. Benedetta
head of infection control technology at the World Health Organization, said the evidence of air-borne transmission of the virus was unconvincing. Especially in the past few months, we have stated many times that air propagation is possible, but there is no conclusive evidence to support this. We have a heated debate on this issue. "