The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday quietly updated its official coronavirus guidance to reveal the pathogen is airborne, and can stay in the air at distances greater than six feet.
Few noticed the change but CNN reported it over the weekend.
“There is growing evidence that droplets and airborne particles can remain suspended in the air and be breathed in by others, and travel distances beyond 6 feet (for example, during choir practice, in restaurants, or in fitness classes),” the update read.
That updated guidance has now been deleted, as Harvard professor and former DHS official Juliette Kayyam noted.
She later noted CDC added a note to the page, claiming the update (which is critical information for everyone around the world) was a draft version.
“A draft version of proposed changes to these recommendations was posted in error to the agency’s official website. CDC is currently updating its recommendations regarding airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19). Once this process has been completed, the update language will be posted.”
Here’s how some experts are responding:
Award-winning medical science writer covering the pandemic for the New York Times:
Epidemiologist, Visiting Scientist at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health:
Ex-Obama health care head:
Founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity, former Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at NYU School of Medicine:
Physician, Health Policy Researcher, NBC and MSNBC contributor:
Molecular Biologist, and President of the Federation of American Scientists:
UPDATE–
Kayyem adds this:
This is a breaking news and developing story. Details may change. This story will be updated, and NCRM will likely publish follow-up stories on this news. Stay tuned and refresh for updates.