Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Health
Reuters Staff

WHO says no change to COVID-19 transmission guidance after U.S. change

FILE PHOTO: A logo is pictured outside a building of the World Health Organization (WHO) during an executive board meeting on update on the coronavirus outbreak, in Geneva, Switzerland, February 6, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

The World Health Organization has not changed its policy on aerosol transmission of the coronavirus, an official said on Monday after U.S. health officials updated their guidance with a warning that COVID-19 can spread through airborne particles.

Mike Ryan, executive director of the UN agency's emergencies programme, said he would follow up with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the next 24 hours after it said COVID-19 could spread through airborne particles that can remain suspended in the air and travel beyond six feet.

"Certainly we haven't seen any new evidence and our position on this remains the same," he said in a briefing.

The CDC has previously said the virus mainly spreads from person to person through respiratory droplets when a sick person coughs, sneezes or talks.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.