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As many as 239 scientists in 32 countries have asked the World Health Organization to revise its recommendation over the novel coronavirus as they have the evidence that smaller particles of the virus in the air can infect people, New York Times reported.
According to the WHO’s recommendation, the coronavirus is transmitted from one person to another through small droplets from the nose or mouth, which are expelled when an infected person coughs or sneezes or speaks.
The experts are planning to publish their paper next week where they have outlined evidence showing smaller particles can infect people.
Whether carried by large droplets that zoom through the air after a sneeze, or by much smaller exhaled droplets that can travel in any part of a room, the coronavirus is borne through the air and can infect people when inhaled, the scientists said, according to the NYT.
However, WHO noted that the evidence for the virus being airborne was not convincing, according to the NYT.
“Especially in the last couple of months, we have been stating several times that we consider airborne transmission as possible but certainly not supported by solid or even clear evidence,” Benedetta Allegranzi, the WHO's technical lead of infection prevention and control, was quoted as saying by the NYT.
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