“The possibility of airborne transmission in public settings cannot be ruled out,” Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead, said. “There is some evidence emerging but it is not definitive. We acknowledge that there is emerging evidence in this field and therefore we believe we have to be open to this evidence and understand its implications regarding transmissions and precautions,” she said.

More than 200 scientists on July 6 have outlined evidence that novel coronavirus can spread in tiny airborne particles. The details were revealed in an open letter to the Geneva-based agency, published in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal. However, it is clear that scientists still lack a complete understanding of the respiratory disease even after several months into the pandemic.

The WHO has previously said the virus that causes the COVID-19 respiratory disease spreads primarily through small droplets expelled from the nose and mouth of an infected person that quickly sink to the ground.

The term ‘airbone’ refers to the transmission of a pathogen through tiny respiratory droplets(aerosols) that can remain in the atmosphere, as opposed to large droplets that fall to the ground within a few feet.

Any change in the WHO’s assessment of the risk of transmission could affect its current advice on keeping 1-metre (3.3 feet) of physical distancing. Governments, which rely on the agency for guidance policy, may also have to adjust public health measures aimed at curbing the spread of the virus.

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WHO has said that the coronavirus disease spreads primarily from person to person through droplets from the nose or mouth, which are expelled when a person with covid-19 coughs, sneezes or speaks.

In an open letter to the agency, which the researchers plan to publish in a scientific journal next week, 239 scientists in 32 countries supported the evidence showing smaller particles can infect people. Whether carried by large droplets that zoom through the air after a sneeze, or by much smaller exhaled droplets that may glide the length of a room, the coronavirus is borne through air and can infect people when inhaled, the scientists said.

However, WHO officials said the evidence for the virus being airborne was not convincing as it was not supported solid evidence.

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