WHO updates COVID-19 documentation to reflect airborne transmission - July 9, 2020
With the White House and CDC squabbling over whether school reopening guidelines are "too much" or "not enough," state and local officials are going it alone. That may be a hopeful sign.
As mentioned earlier this week, the scientific consensus is that COVID-19 spreads through the air — typically from droplets expelled when a person talks, sings, shouts, coughs or sneezes. The implications are profound, especially for offices, restaurants, schools and any business or organization that operates inside any buildings.
There also are new concerns about backlogs at testing labs on top of short supplies for new tests. Remember that testing is an essential component of any virus containment strategy.
New today are these important developments:
The World Health Organization responded rapidly to the petition reported on Monday and now officially says that the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 can pass through the air in addition to direct droplet transmission. This reinforces the need to keep space between people, limit gatherings (especially indoors,) and use face coverings. Although we already knew this from research published over the past several months, this official declaration reduces any ambiguity.
Public health experts are increasingly concerned that air conditioning may help explain the rapid surge of new cases in the Southeast and Southwest. WebMD reports on several small studies that implicate indoor air flow in COVID-19 transmission, and researchers in Nebraska and Oregon have detected viral particles in air samples and HVAC systems. The Nebraska team has a paper in press that is expected to indicate that some of those particles may be infectious.
A study in South Korea shows how rapidly COVID-19 spreads in office settings. After one person was infected with COVID-19 at a call center, 44% of the other workers on the same floor became infected. And of all the workers in the center, all but three worked on that floor.
CDC Director Robert Redfield “clarified” that the CDC is not changing its school reopening guidelines, as the President directed on Wednesday. Instead, the CDC will provide additional tools to assist schools in applying guidelines to specific situations.
The CDC also updated its guidelines for meat and food processing plants. As with other documents during COVID-19, the recommendations are merely guidelines, not orders. Recommendations include screening workers for COVID-19, isolating anyone who may be sick, and consider requiring face coverings. The guideline also reminds employers that federal law prohibits retaliation against employees who raise health or safety concerns.
Better late than never? The CDC updated its list of ways that states can request additional personnel to help with COVID-19 response. In addition to federal programs, it includes a list of private staffing companies including a large employer of security guards and temporary work agencies.
There actually are a lot more developments today, but these are the most impactful. Tomorrow, I’ll share some of the latest myths and mythbusters.
Stay safe!