Fact check: WHO has not confirmed COVID-19 to be airborne

- The WHO has not confirmed the COVID-19 pandemic is airborne

- The WHO carefully monitors emerging evidence about this critical topic

- Instead, the WHO says the COVID-19 virus is primarily transmitted between people through respiratory droplets

Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes

News of whether or not coronavirus (COVID-19) is airborne became rife in the last couple of weeks.

Some suggested that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed that COVID-19 can be transmitted through the air.

But YEN.com.gh fact checking indicates current evidence shows that the COVID-19 virus is primarily transmitted between people through respiratory droplets and contact routes.

READ ALSO: Accra girls: 55 persons test positive for COVID-19 after contact tracing of 6 students

An analysis of 75 465 COVID-19 cases in China on the WHO website show airborne transmission was not reported.

YEN.com.gh checks clearly show the messages going around on social media that COVID-19 is airborne is misleading.

The WHO, on 7 July 2020, revealed in one of its letters that over 200 scientists and experts across the globe who argued there was significant evidence that COVID-19 could persist in the air and spread in airborne particles from person to person.

A WHO technical lead on COVID-19, Benedetta Allegranzi, said: “We believe that we have to be open to this evidence and understand its implications regarding the modes of transmission.”

Maria Van Kerkhove, a technical lead for COVID-19, noted that “we have been talking about the possibility of airborne transmission and aerosol transmission as one of the modes of COVID-19.”

READ ALSO: One JHS school in Oti Region records coronavirus - GHS

She added, “We are also looking at the role of airborne transmission in other settings where you have poor ventilation."

So from the above responses, it is safe to conclude that the information circulating is misleading and that the WHO has not confirmed that COVID-19 is now airborne.

YEN.com.gh earlier reported that the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has confirmed 264 new COVID-19 cases in the country on Tuesday, 14 July, taking the national tally to 25 252.

The death toll remains at 139 and the total number of recoveries has jumped to 21 391.

“A total of 264 new cases were reported on July 14, 2020. These are samples that were taken from the period 21 June to 9 July 2020,” the GHS said on its website.

Senior Minister, Osafo-Maafo, tests positive for COVID-19:

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Source: YEN.com.gh