Is COVID-19 An Airborne Virus? Here Are The Facts!

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Many people are sharing the shocking news that not only did WHO confirm that COVID-19 is airborne, a Japanese doctor also proved it using a special camera!

Find out if it is true that COVID-19 is airborne, and what the facts really are!

Did WHO Really Confirm COVID-19 Is Airborne?

 

Claim : COVID-19 Is Airborne!

The claim is based on a CNBC article that was released a few days ago, and here is an example. We took the liberty of placing a HOAX overlay to avoid it being further shared as fact.

BREAKING NEWS! covid -19 I confirmed as airborne and remain 8 hrs in air! So everyone is required to wear mask everywhere!! BREAKING NEWS:

Coronavirus – confirmed to be airborne!!!
Copper, Steel – 2 hours
Paper, Plastic – 3-4 hours
Air – 8 hours or more depending on conditions.

WHO reversed their earlier position that Covid virus is not air borne. Pls avoid all public places with aircon especially small or confined ones

  • COVID-19 airborne hoax 01
  • COVID-19 airborne hoax 02

This was followed by a similar message, but this time with a video of a Japanese doctor allegedly proving its airborne properties. Again, we placed a HOAX overlay to avoid its abuse.

Is important to wear mask as covid19 is finally certified to be airborne. Japanese doctor using sophisticated camera capture the virus is airborne. Their camera capture 0.1 micro (10’000 times to 1 micro milimeter)

 

FACT : COVID-19 Is NOT Airborne!

As our HOAX overlay clearly shows – they are both Internet hoaxes. The WHO did not confirm that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is airborne. Neither did a Japanese doctor prove that with his high-speed camera.

In this video, we will explain to you why they are both misleading or completely untrue, with some help from Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the head of WHO’s emerging diseases and zoonosis unit!

Don’t Just Read The Headlines!

The problem is people don’t read news… they read headlines. The CNBC article is genuine, but it doesn’t actually say that WHO confirmed that the coronavirus is airborne.

It merely points out that certain medical procedures that healthcare professionals perform may aerosolise the droplets, letting them stay in the air “a little bit longer”.

So these healthcare workers may want to take extra precautions when they are performing those procedures. That is NOT the same thing as WHO declaring that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is an airborne virus.

And it certainly did NOT state that the virus can survive for 8 hours in the air, longer than even on paper and plastic!

CNBC COVID-19 Airborne article

Don’t Trust Videos You Don’t Understand

The Japanese video appears to be a genuine video, but does not show that the coronavirus is airborne.

It appears to be a video about micro droplets that we produce when we sneeze or talk. There is no mention of COVID-19 at all in the video.

Japanese video screenshot on micro droplets

WHO Confirmation

WHO specifically addressed this false claim, stating that :

The virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through droplets generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks. These droplets are too heavy to hang in the air. They quickly fall on floors or surfaces. 

You can be infected by breathing in the virus if you are within 1 metre of a person who has COVID-19, or by touching a contaminated surface and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth before washing your hands.

The Aerosol Results Were Created In Very Specific Conditions

The COVID-19 aerosol results quoted by CNBC and other media outlets were based on a NIH study – Aerosol and surface stability of HCoV-19 (SARS-CoV-2) compared to SARS-CoV-1 – that was published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The NIH scientists generated aerosols of the SARS-CoV-2 virus using a three-jet Collison nebuliser, and kept the aerosols suspended in a rotating Goldberg drum.

Goldberg drum example
A Goldberg drum rotates to keep aerosolised particles suspended

Under those specific conditions, they were able to determine that SARS-CoV-2 aerosols can remain viable when kept suspended for 3 hours.

However, outside of specific medical procedures like intubation, it is very hard to generate aerosols. Whenever we cough or sneeze or speak, what comes out are droplets, not aerosols.

That’s why WHO is advising medical staff to follow “airborne precautions” for certain medical procedures.

The public, who will never perform these procedures, only have to follow “droplet precautions”.

 

Is COVID-19 An Airborne Virus? The Final Word

NO, the COVID-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is NOT an airborne virus.

As Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove (Head of WHO’s Emerging Diseases and Zoonosis Unit) pointed out – it is transmitted by droplets.

That’s why WHO advises everyone to stand about two meters or six feet apart – these droplets fall, and don’t travel very far.

Also, the COVID-19 virus is not very persistent and will not last very long in the open. More importantly, it is easily DESTROYED by simply washing with soap or hand sanitiser.

Recommended : Soap vs Sanitiser : Which Works Better Against COVID-19?

Listen to Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove in this video with Dr. Margaret Harris, as they answer questions that people sent to WHO regarding the COVID-19 coronavirus.

 

COVID-19 : How To Keep Safe!

Here are a few simple steps to stay safe from COVID-19 :

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  • Avoid suspected cases or disease hotpots, like hospitals, if possible!
  • Avoid public events and crowds
  • Keep our hands clean with soap or hand sanitiser
  • Keep our homes, offices, vehicles, etc. clean
  • If you need to wear a surgical mask, make sure you put it on and remove it properly!
  • Wash your food with water (and soap) after purchase and before preparation

Recommended : Soap vs Sanitiser : Which Works Better Against COVID-19?
Recommended : Surgical Mask : How To CORRECTLY Wear + Remove!
Recommended : COVID-19 Food Safety : Fruits, Vegetables, Takeouts

 

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