WHO identifies "airborne transmission" as the main route of infection. An authoritative journal bluntly said: the response was "slow"
WHO included “airborne transmission” in guidelines for the first time. Authoritative journals directly criticized it for being “slow”
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently revised its guidelines for the spread of COVID-19, confirming that the novel coronavirus not only causes “droplet transmission” through coughing, sneezing, talking or singing, but “airborne transmission” (aerosol infection) is also one of the main transmission routes. one.
Although many scientists pointed out the possibility of airborne transmission as early as 2020, it has not been recognized by the WHO. An article in the authoritative journal Nature stated that at the time, the WHO insisted that the virus was mainly transmitted through droplets, and that viruses in the air would eventually “fall to the ground.” Therefore, as long as a social distance of 1 meter was maintained, they would not be infected. Viral infection.
It was not until October 2020 that the WHO admitted that “tiny liquid particles” can spread the new coronavirus, but only in specific environments, such as indoor places, crowded places, and spaces with insufficient ventilation. Over the next six months, the WHO changed its guidance several times, stating that aerosols can carry viruses beyond 1 meter and remain in the air.
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Although the WHO has gradually adjusted its epidemic prevention guidelines, Nature still bluntly criticized the WHO’s “slow response” to epidemic prevention policies, which undoubtedly caused a lot of confusion in the two years since the epidemic raged. Professor Lidia Morawska, a virologist at Queensland University of Technology in Australia, even said that omitting airborne transmission from official guidelines is a “catastrophic” move.
“Nature” pointed out that this is not the first time that medical experts have criticized WHO’s decision-making errors. In February 2020, many authoritative medical institutions claimed that masks would indeed protect people from the threat of the virus, but the WHO did not issue a statement on this as late as June 5.
“WHO should have formulated recommendations on wearing masks or airborne transmission as soon as possible. Now that Omicron has brought variables to the global epidemic, we hope that relevant authorities can formulate strategies as soon as possible, otherwise the public will be at a loss as to what to do.” Professor Morawska said.
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However, many scholars are still optimistic about the changes made by the WHO. Epidemiologist Christopher Dye said it is important for official agencies to acknowledge the existence of airborne transmission because it overturns the established view of respiratory virus transmission - that is, most infectious diseases are transmitted through droplets, not airborne infection. Dye believes that when new infectious diseases emerge in the future, the world will be more vigilant about airborne infection routes.
Peter Sandman, an American risk communication expert and former WHO consultant, believes that the role of the WHO is to gather the consensus of current scientific experts rather than to introduce new knowledge at any time. “WHO has often been accused and criticized by various scientists, which has led to their increasingly conservative approach. Therefore, the agency has maintained a cautious attitude for a long time.” Sandman said.
What is the actual impact of airborne transmission? Hong Kong study: Even if you stay in an anti-epidemic hotel, you won’t be able to escape the diagnosis
As for the actual impact caused by airborne transmission? The Queen Mary Hospital team, which was previously affiliated with the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, conducted airborne transmission experiments in anti-epidemic hotels. Experimental results found that even if the door is open for only a few seconds, virus-laden air can still seep through the door cracks in adjacent rooms. The carrier did not wear a mask properly when opening the door to pick up food or disposing of garbage, which resulted in the infected person developing respiratory symptoms on the 8th day of isolation.
The above-mentioned research confirms that even if you are in an epidemic-proof hotel, the virus may still be spread through the air and cause infection. The team at Mary Hospital said that now that the existence of airborne transmission has been confirmed, it is still necessary to wash hands frequently and wear a mask at all times. Previous studies have pointed out that masks can prevent 90% of airborne infections and are a necessary means to block virus transmission for those quarantined in confined spaces.
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Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): How is it transmitted?
Why the WHO took two years to say COVID is airborne
Mounting evidence suggests coronavirus is airborne — but health advice has not caught up
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