One stated that the main way the virus spreads is “thought to be” through “respiratory droplets or small particles, such as those in aerosols, produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, sings, talks, or breathes.”
But a later paragraph said that spread through “droplets and airborne particles” was only “possible.”
It says spread is thought to occur “through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks.”
Jose Jimenez, a chemist at the University of Colorado who signed the letter, told Reuters, “This is definitely not an attack on the WHO. It’s a scientific debate, but we felt we needed to go public because they were refusing to hear the evidence after many conversations with them.”
Jimenez said historically, there has been a fierce opposition in the medical profession to the notion of aerosol transmission, and the bar for proof has been set very high. A key concern has been a fear of panic.
“If people hear airborne, healthcare workers will refuse to go to the hospital,” he said at the time. Or people will buy up all the highly protective N95 respirator masks, “and there will be none left for developing countries.”
Jimenez said the WHO panel assessing the evidence on airborne transmission was not scientifically diverse, and lacked representation from experts in aerosol transmission.
