Coronavirus is not airborne: WHO

Coronavirus is not airborne: WHO

(Web Desk) - The World Health Organization says the virus that causes COVID-19 doesn’t seem to linger in the air or be capable of spreading through the air over distances more than about three feet.

The WHO says that "according to current evidence," the virus is transmitted through "respiratory droplets and contact routes." By that, the agency means the virus is found in the kind of big droplets of mucus or saliva created through coughing and sneezing.

FACT: COVID19 is NOT airborne. The coronavirus is mainly transmitted through droplets generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks. To protect yourself: -keep 1m distance from others -disinfect surfaces frequently -wash/rub your  -avoid touching your  pic.twitter.com/fpkcpHAJx7

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 28, 2020

These droplets can only travel short distances through the air and either land on people or land on surfaces that people later touch. Stopping this kind of transmission is why public health officials urge people to wash hands frequently and not touch the face, because that could bring the virus into contact with the nose or mouth.

However, some scientific publications provide initial evidence on whether the COVID-19 virus can be detected in the air and thus, potentially involve airborne transmission.