This archive report was first published on 9 July 2020.
As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists are exploring the possibility of airborne transmission of the virus. According to Professor David Heymann, an infectious diseases specialist, complex studies are needed to determine whether people can catch COVID-19 through air circulating on planes or through restaurant air conditioning systems.
Speaking at a Chatham House briefing on Wednesday, July 8, 2020, Prof Heymann suggested using animal studies to test for the potential spread of the virus. This approach has previously been used for tuberculosis research, where guinea pigs were used to study the disease.
Prof Heymann noted that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has acknowledged emerging evidence that coronavirus could be spread through particles in the air. Over 200 scientists wrote an open letter to the agency, urging it to recognise the possibility of airborne transmission.
Current WHO guidelines focus on the virus being spread primarily through droplets from the nose or mouth, which are expelled when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks. However, signatories of the letter, published in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal, called on health officials to update guidance to include measures mitigating the risk of airborne transmission.
Prof Heymann explained that scientists are using hamsters to study the airborne transmission of the virus. He said, "One of these is to put an animal that can be infected with this virus into various places around rooms, in hospitals or wherever, to see if those animals are being infected, and that's being done with hamsters."
