The World Health Organization is considering “airborne precautions” for medical staff after a new study showed the coronavirus can survive in the air in some settings, according to an article on the CNBC website.
World health officials say the respiratory disease spreads through droplets carried through sneezing and coughing as well as germs left on inanimate objects. The coronavirus can go airborne, staying suspended in the air depending on factors such as heat and humidity.
Scientists are looking at how humidity, temperature and ultraviolet lighting affects the disease as well as how long it lives on different surfaces, including steel.
Health officials use the information to make sure WHO’s guidance is appropriate. The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told Congress last month that the agency was evaluating how long COVID-19 can survive, particularly on surfaces. On copper and steel, it is typically two hours.
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