Singapore’s Ministry of Health has issued a statement, according to CNA, to dispute reports that the novel coronavirus is now airborne. After a Shanghai official claimed that aerosol transmission of the 2019 novel coronavirus is possible, the Singapore MOH looked into the report, and said that there is no evidence to support the claim. Below is their statement:
“Based on evidence available in China, an expert from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has said that there is currently no evidence that the virus can be transmitted through aerosol.”
According to a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Feng Luzhao, this is because the coronavirus does not “suspend or float” in the air for a long enough period. Basically, this means that the two main methods of transmission are through direct contact or respiratory droplets within a range of 1–2 metres.
Additionally, Australia’s National Critical Care and Response Centre Medical Director Professor Dianne Stephens has also refuted the claim.
“[The novel coronavirus] is droplet spread, if I cough on you and I have the coronavirus, then you are at risk. If I have a mask on and you do, it prevents that from happening.”
The claim being disputed was made by Zeng Qun, deputy head of the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, as reported by China Daily. In the report, the official was quoted as saying that a possible method for transmission of the novel coronavirus is via aerosol transmission. Newsweek further quotes Ian Mackay, an Australian virologist as saying that the claim was made “without supporting evidence”, while he also urged for the public to be “careful” with the many “wild claims” around the outbreak.
To reiterate, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said the following with regards to transmission methods:
“Most often, spread from person-to-person happens among close contacts (about 6 feet). Person-to-person spread is thought to occur mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how influenza and other respiratory pathogens spread. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. It’s currently unclear if a person can get 2019-nCoV by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes.”
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