The key question about how coronavirus is spread that is dividing scientists
A world expert in aerosols says the new coronavirus may be spreading more easily through the air than first thought - from breathing as well as coughing or sneezing in some cases.
“It’s old medical dogma from the 1930s that they only travel a metre,” Professor Morawska said. “But we know more now. We've already shown other viruses like the flu [that mostly] shed in droplets can also spread from breathing. [In a] pandemic, we need to assume the worst."That still doesn't mean you'll catch the virus from passing someone on the street "unless they coughed right in your face", Professor Morawska says.
Other experts such as infectious disease physician Associate Professor Sanjaya Senanayake say the virus is unlikely to be spreading frequently in the air. If it were, the shape of the pandemic would likely look different- spreading faster and amongst more people without close contact to known cases. saying the current research supports the possibility COVID-19 can be spread by aerosols from breathing, as was observed to a degree during the first dangerous coronavirus outbreak, SARS.
But in the US, the CDC has reversed its own advice, now urging people to wear cloth masks whenever they are somewhere poorly ventilated or can’t keep their distance from others, such as in a supermarket aisle. Its guidance to healthcare workers also states that, while the extent of aerosol transmission is still unclear, the virus can spread when someone "coughs, sneezes or talks".
A spokeswoman said Australia's advice on masks had not changed on Thursday but the evidence on transmission was being reviewed all the time by the medical experts advising government.
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