Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Confirms Coronavirus Spreads Through Airborne Transmission
NPR: CDC Updates Guidance Acknowledging Coronavirus Spreads Via Airborne Transmission
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says the coronavirus can be spread through airborne particles that can linger in the air "for minutes or even hours" — even among people who are more than 6 feet apart. The CDC still says that SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is most frequently spread among people in close contact with one another, through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. But in new guidance published Monday on its website, the agency also acknowledged that under certain circumstances, people have become infected by smaller particles that can linger in the air in enclosed spaces that are poorly ventilated. (Godoy, 10/5)
Politico: CDC Says Coronavirus Is Airborne, But Weakens Language From Earlier Warning
The CDC on Monday confirmed that the coronavirus is airborne and may be able to infect people who are more than six feet apart, especially indoors with poor ventilation. The agency first said last month that the virus spreads mainly through "aerosols, produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, sings, talks, or breathes." CDC pulled that language days later, saying it had been posted in error and required further review. (Ehley, 10/5)
The Hill: CDC Says Coronavirus Can Spread Through Airborne Transmission
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Monday that coronavirus can spread through "airborne transmission" to people who are more than 6 feet away under certain conditions. The update on the agency's website is an important change to the understanding of how the virus spreads, and one that many experts have been pointing to for months. (Sullivan, 10/5)
