It can occur when viral particles remain “suspended in the air or travel farther than one metre”. This is true of both the original Covid-19 virus and the Delta variant.Īfter months of growing scientific evidence, the World Health Organization formally acknowledged the airborne spread of Covid in April. “The spread is more likely if you’re close to the person there’s still a potential for virus particles to be in the air, and breathed in by someone passing by,” she said. “Fleeting contact” is an accurate descriptor that underlines the airborne nature of the virus, says Prof Nancy Baxter, head of the University of Melbourne’s school of population and global health. Photograph: AP Not enough emphasis on airborne transmission In April, the World Health Organization formally acknowledged that Covid is predominantly spread via the air. Sars-CoV-2 virus particles which cause Covid-19 under a microscope.
