WHO Takes Cognizance Of Reports Claiming Coronavirus To Be 'Airborne', Says Can't Rule Out Possibility

On Monday, 239 scientists from 32 countries urged WHO and other concerned authorities to mitigate indoor airborne transmission of novel Coronavirus.

(File Photo/ AFP)

New Delhi: The World Health Organisation on Tuesday took a cognizance of emerging evidenced presented by 239 scientists from 32 countries who have claimed that Coronavirus is airborne. On Monday, scientists from around the world associated with many different areas of science and engineering, including virology, aerosol physics, flow dynamics, exposure and epidemiology, medicine, and building engineering, urged WHO and other concerned authorities to mitigate indoor airborne transmission and accordingly update its guidelines for safety of people. Acknowledging the appeal, WHO's technical lead on the COVID-19 pandemic - Benedetta Allegranzi in a media briefing today said that there was evidence emerging of airborne transmission of the Coronavirus, but that it was not definitive. "The possibility of airborne transmission in public settings - especially in very specific conditions, crowded, closed, poorly ventilated settings that have been described, cannot be ruled out," Allegranzi said, as quoted in a Reuters report. "However, the evidence needs to be gathered and interpreted, and we continue to support this," she added. Meanwhile, Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead on the COVID-19 pandemic at the WHO, said that the agency will soon publish a scientific note briefing about the modes of transmission of the virus in the coming days. According to a press release by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Professor Lidia Morawska, director of the International Air Quality and Health Laboratory has stated that "Studies by the signatories and other scientists have demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt that viruses are exhaled in microdroplets small enough to remain aloft in the air and pose a risk of exposure beyond 1 to 2m by an infected person."