A prestigious panel of scientific experts told White House officials during a briefing on Wednesday evening that the spread of the coronavirus can occur not only through coughing and sneezing, but also through speaking and even just breathing. according to CNN .
“While current specific research is limited, the results of available studies are consistent with the possibility that the virus also contaminates through the aerosol produced by normal breathing,” reads a letter from Harvey Fineberg, chairman of the National Standing of Sciences Standing Committee.
The letter was in response to a question raised by Kelvin Droegemeier, the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the White House.
“Currently available research supports the possibility that the coronavirus can be spread via bioaerosols generated directly from patients' exhalations,” the letter reads.
Fineberg told the CNN that this danger is not as high in open and ventilated areas.
“If an aerosol containing the virus in a room without air circulation, it is conceivable that if you later walk through it, you could inhale the virus,” he said Fineberg to the CNN . “But if you're out in the open, the breeze will probably disperse it.”
The letter comes in response to a specific question sent by the surgeon general Jerome Adams. The latter asked officials at the US Centers for Disease Control to reconsider the initial decision to advise the public against wearing masks. A decision that was initially also made here in Italy, and which persists in spite of the increasing evidence.
“We have learned that there is a fair amount of asymptomatic spread of the coronavirus. This is why we asked the CDC to verify whether or not the fact that more people wear masks prevents the transmission of the disease to other people." This one declaration di Adams Wednesday on “Good Morning America. "
The clarification in response was quite eloquent. The rules on masks will likely change very soon.
