![]() "People who were 50 feet from the got infected," he says, based on investigations he and several colleagues conducted into the event. He points to a March choir practice in Washington state, where 53 out of 61 attendees came down with COVID-19 after spending two and a half hours together at a singing rehearsal. Months of evidence point to the probability that COVID-19 is less contagious than measles, a designated airborne disease, but is still spreading through the air, says Jose-Luis Jiminez, an atmospheric chemistry professor at University of Colorado Boulder. Healthcare workers who follow these recommendations have been generally protected against the virus, WHO notes. Some of the reluctance to describe COVID-19 as an airborne disease may stem from concerns that the label would scare the public and may require hospitals to take "a whole new level of precautions," says Marr, such as requiring an N95 mask, which blocks aerosols, to be worn around all potential COVID-19 patients.Ĭurrently, WHO guidance considers surgical masks to be adequately protective for healthcare staffers working with potential COVID-19 patients, and advises using N95 masks in limited situations, such as when intubating patients, which is known to generate small particles from deep in the lungs. CDC now maintains that the highest risk of catching the virus comes from spending prolonged time within six feet of an infectious person, and that it can also spread through touching a surface that someone infectious has sneezed or coughed on, and then rubbing your eyes, nose or mouth. They're just not clear whether it's one of the most common ways it spreads. Public health agencies such as CDC and the World Health Organization agree on that - it's why they've recommended that people avoid "confined and enclosed spaces with poor ventilation" and gather outdoors when possible. The bottom line is: Yes, the coronavirus may be spreading through the air, particularly in stuffy rooms where many people aren't wearing masks. Does the coronavirus spread through the air? What precautions can help protect you? In the midst of this confusion, you might be wondering what exactly is in dispute. "A draft version of proposed changes to these recommendations was posted in error," notes a box at the top of the CDC's page, adding that the agency is still working out what to say about aerosol transmission. A page on the CDC website on "How COVID-19 Spreads" described the coronavirus as spreading "most commonly" through "respiratory or small particles, such as those in aerosols," which are tiny airborne particles expelled from people's noses and mouths when they speak, sing, cough or breathe - and which can remain suspended in the air and travel further than six feet.Īerosol researchers such as Linsey Marr, an engineering professor at Virginia Tech, who have been pushing for health agencies to officially recognize the potential importance of aerosol spread - cheered over the weekend.īut then, on Monday, CDC walked it back. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention briefly became the first major public health agency in the world to say the coronavirus could be frequently spreading through the air. ![]() is this something I should be worried about? ![]() What is up CDC? First you say airborne transmission is a thing. Email us your questions at with the subject line: "Weekly Coronavirus Questions." Each week we answer some of your pressing questions about the coronavirus and how to stay safe.
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