Biosecurity

WHO Acknowledges ‘Emerging Evidence’ On Airborne Transmission Of Coronavirus

The World Health Organization has acknowledged that there is "emerging evidence" that the coronavirus can be spread by airborne transmission from tiny particles suspended in the air, a day after 239 scientists signed a letter urging the agency to address the issue.

• WHO’s Technical Lead for Infection Prevention and Control, Dr. Benedetta Alleganzi acknowledged “emerging evidence” on the issue and said that the agency has “to be open to this evidence and understand its implications.”
• Alleganzi, however, noted that the evidence was not yet definitive but said that the possibility of airborne transmission “in very specific conditions crowded, closed, poorly ventilated settings” could not be ruled out.
• The letter, which was made public on Monday, had argued that the WHO and other health authorities were not paying enough attention to airborne transmission.
• Jose Jimenez, who signed the letter, told Reuters that the letter was “not an attack on the WHO,” but the scientists felt they needed to go public “because they were refusing to hear the evidence after many conversations with them.”
• The WHO's Maria Van Kerkove said the agency is working on a scientific brief summarizing the current knowledge around the transmission of the virus which will be made public in the coming weeks.