Coronavirus can float in air droplets and is probably transmitted this way, according to a group of international experts.
The group plans to publish an open letter on Monday to the World Health Organization and other health agencies, asking them to be more candid in explaining how the virus can be transmitted through the air.
The letter is signed by 239 scientists from around the world.
It's not a secret; Health experts and countries around the world, such as Japan, have been warning for months that the virus is spread in close contact in crowded spaces with poor ventilation because of the way it travels through droplets.
But agencies seem afraid to talk about the aerial nature of the virus, said Donald Milton, one of the authors and a professor at the University of Maryland.
"The airborne word seems to be loaded," Milton told CNN on Sunday. "I suppose we hope that WHO will come and be more willing to recognize the important role of aerosols, whether they want to call it airborne or not."
What does airborne transmission mean: The virus is transmitted to droplets that come out of people's mouths and noses, and the size of these droplets varies.
Large droplets fall quickly on surfaces and can be picked up on the fingers and transported to the eyes, nose or mouth. Small droplets can stay in the air longer and can be inhaled deeper into the lungs.
We still don't understand how important droplet size is for coronavirus transmission, said Milton - but studies show that it is a factor.
A noisy bar, where people have to shout to be heard, is a perfect storm of close contact, poor air circulation, and people generating lots of virus-carrying particles by talking, laughing and bawling.
What we can do there: Milton said the best way to protect yourself from fine aerosols is to use an N-95 or higher respirator - something limited in many places.
But there are also other ways, including better ventilation, as well as the distance and use of the mask. This is information that the average person can use and use.
"I am very concerned about the general public and schools and the ventilation in school buildings and in dormitories on university campuses and in bars and churches and where people sing and where people congregate", a- he declared.
