WHO said that droplet transmission occurs when a person is in close contact (within 1 metre) with someone who has respiratory symptoms like coughing and sneezing.
As coronavirus cases continue to spread rapidly around the globe, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has debunked rumours and said that it is not airborne transmission and is transmitted between two people only through respiratory droplets and contact routes.
"Respiratory infections can be transmitted through droplets of different sizes: when the droplet particles are >5-10 μm in diameter they are referred to as respiratory droplets, and when then are <5μm in diameter, they are referred to as droplet nuclei," WHO said in a statement.
The health agency further said that droplet transmission occurs when a person is in close contact (within 1 metre) with someone who has respiratory symptoms like coughing and sneezing. The person is therefore at risk of having his/her Total number of positive coronavirus cases have risen to 384 in Delhi, 259 attended Markaz event: Arvind Kejriwal
"Transmission may also occur through fomites in the immediate environment around the infected person. Therefore, the transmission of the COVID-19 virus can occur by direct contact with infected people and indirect contact with surfaces in the immediate environment or with objects used on the infected person (e.g., stethoscope or thermometer)," the statement read.
WHO further explained that airborne transmission is different from droplet transmission as it refers to the presence of microbes within droplet nuclei, which are generally considered to be particles <5μm in diameter, can remain in the air for long periods of time and be transmitted to others over distances greater than 1 m.
Putting the above information in the context of coronavirus, the agency said that airborne transmission may be possible in specific circumstances and settings in which treatments that generate aerosols are performed.
Noting that there is some evidence that the coronavirus infection may lead to intestinal infection and be present in faeces, it added that, to date, only one study has cultured the COVID-19 virus from a single stool specimen. There have been no reports of faecal−oral transmission of the COVID-19 virus to date, WHO added.
The health agency also highlighted the importance of washing hands, respiratory etiquette and maintaining distances, also known as social distancing with people who have symptoms of respiratory problems or fever.
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 "FILE PHOTO: People wearing masks walk through an underground passage to the subway in Beijing, China")
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