Airborne Transmission Of Coronavirus Now Added To Updated WHO Guidelines

After several scientists wrote about growing evidence of coronavirus being spread through the air, the WHO has now added 'airborne transmission' in their updated guidelines.

(File Photo/ AFP)

New Delhi: The World Health Organization has added ‘airborne transmission’ as a mode of transmission for Coronavirus in their updated guidelines regarding Covid 19.  The organization had recently received an open letter from 239 scientists who claimed that there is growing evidence of the spread of Covid-19 through airborne transmission. Thereafter, the WHO has added it to their guidelines. ALSO READ| No Covid 19 Vaccine Till August 15th, Development Will Take Months: Health Ministry According to the updated WHO guidelines, “Airborne transmission of the virus can occur in health care settings where specific medical procedures, called aerosol-generating procedures, generate very small droplets called aerosols. Some outbreak reports related to indoor crowded spaces have suggested the possibility of aerosol transmission, combined with droplet transmission, for example, restaurants and gyms.” Areas with poor ventilation that traps the air have a higher chance of infecting people if an infected person (asymptomatic people included) is in the area. Tests in which a patient is required to cough or breathe put healthcare workers at higher risk. Aerosols are much smaller than the droplets which were initially believed to be the only way for Covid-19 to spread. These aerosols are lightweight can stay suspended in the air for several hours which makes poorly ventilated areas very risky. Since SARS-CoV-2 is a new disease, not much is known about the virus, which is why WHO stresses on “urgent high-quality research is needed to elucidate the relative importance of different transmission routes”. But since this is a new development, the World Health Organization updated its guidelines for the prevention of the Covid-19 spread.