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WHO’s big admission on Covid-19 pandemic: Coronavirus may transmit through air

Responding to question on airborne transmission of COVID-19, the UN health agency acknowledged there’s emerging evidence that the SARS-Cov-2 virus can be spread by tiny particles suspended in the air.

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New Delhi: Ever since Covid-19 outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been insisting that novel Coronavirus transmits through respiratory droplets when a person coughs or sneezes.

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However, after a group of scientists present their study to the global health body suggesting that it may be airborne, the WHO today acknowledged that transmission of virus could also take place through air.

Responding to question on airborne transmission of COVID-19, the UN health agency acknowledged there’s emerging evidence that the SARS-Cov-2 virus can be spread by tiny particles suspended in the air. An airborne disease is any condition caused by a microbe transmitted through the air.

The WHO also said that the spread of the virus was accelerating and that the death toll could spike in the future.

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“In April and May, we were dealing with 100,000 cases a day,” said Dr. Michael Ryan during a Tuesday press briefing. “Today we’re dealing with 200,000 a day.”

‘Airborne transmission likely in public places’

Dr Maria Van Kerkove, technical lead on COVID-19 pandemic at WHO, said in a press briefing, “We have been talking about the possibility of airborne transmission and aerosol transmission as one of the modes of transmission of COVID-19.”

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She, however, added that these are yet to backed up by evidence.

“…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. However, the evidence needs to be gathered and interpreted, and we continue to support this,” she said.

WHO faces wrath for ‘ill-preparedness’ on Covid-19

The WHO role has increasingly come under scanner over its handling of the Coronavirus pandemic.
First, it took too long to declare Coronavirus a global pandemic, apparently because of its ‘secret friendship’ with China, as alleged.

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Now, that WHO finding itself on the backfoot over airborne nature of the virus has given enough opportunity to baiters to slam the global health body. Yesterday, 239 scientists from 32 countries accused the agency of underestimating the possibility of airborne spread of coronavirus and had urged it to issue fresh guidelines especially.

Lastly, the United States has declared to officially withdraw from the WHO because of its ‘collusion to China’ over the pandemic.