COVID-19 Fact Check: This Is What WHO Says About The 'Coronavirus Is Airborne' Theory

KEY POINTS

The World Health Organization (WHO) calls out coronavirus myth doing the rounds on the internet
The WHO addresses if COVID-19 is airborne
Coronavirus pandemic has spread across the world and killed more than 30,000 people

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread in different parts of the world. This deadly coronavirus has killed more than 30,000 people across the globe, and people are afraid of this illness. Meanwhile, to add to the panic, the internet is filled with false information about the spread of coronavirus.

One of the information doing the rounds is that COVID-19 is airborne and remains eight hours in the air. The World Health Organization (WHO) has come forward to debunk this myth.

The WHO stated that COVID-19 coronavirus is not airborne.

“The virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through droplets generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks. These droplets are too heavy to hang in the air. They quickly fall on floors or surfaces,” The WHO wrote in a Facebook post.

According to the organization, you can get the infection by breathing in the coronavirus if you are within one meter of a person who is a COVID-19 carrier. You can also get the coronavirus by touching a contaminated surface and then touching your mouth, eyes, or nose.

“To protect yourself, keep at least one metre distance from others and disinfect surfaces that are touched frequently. Regularly clean your hands thoroughly and avoid touching your eyes, mouth and nose.”

Meanwhile, according to the latest data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, 30,846 people have died due to coronavirus-related illness. As of 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time, Sunday, March 29, more than 664,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19.

Elsewhere, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued Emergency Use Authorization to Abbott Labs on Friday for developing coronavirus test that gives results in five minutes.

Abbott said in a statement that it would be making the fastest available molecular point-of-care test for the detection of coronavirus.

The test will run on the company’s ID NOW platform, which was developed in 2014 for Influenza A & B, Strep A, and RSV testing.

“The COVID-19 pandemic will be fought on multiple fronts, and a portable molecular test that offers results in minutes adds to the broad range of diagnostic solutions needed to combat this virus,” Robert B. Ford, president, and chief operating officer at Abbott said in the statement released on March 27.