BANGKOK, July 9 (TNA) – The Disease Control Department reiterated that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is transmitted through respiratory droplets when people cough or sneeze to allay fears of airborne threats of coronavirus.
Dr Anupong Suchariyakul, a specialist at the Disease Control Department said on Wednesday that the first wave of Covid-19 outbreak had come to an end in Thailand as the country had not seen any new local case of coronavirus for 44 consecutive days.
However, he warned people to be prepared for a second wave of outbreak due to the continuing spread of COVID-19 in many countries. He instructed people to stay vigilant and wear masks.
Regarding scientists from 32 countries, calling for the World Health Organization (WHO) to acknowledge COVID-19 can spread in the air, Dr. Anupong said about the cases in Thailand that the virus is spread via respiratory droplets when people cough or sneeze and they pose a risk of exposure at distances of 1-2 metres.
He said the risk of airborne transmission occurred closed space such as ICU rooms which tiny respiratory particles could remain aloft in the air. But the aerosol transmission would not occur in outdoor space with wind, sunlight and better airflow.
He said the possibility of aerosol transmission must be verified by academic information.
If COVID-19 can be easily transmitted like Tuberculosis, the number of coronavirus patients worldwide would be higher than 11-12 million people.
He allayed public concerns, saying the existing knowledge showed that Covid-19 was transmitted through respiratory droplets and WHO needed to further investigate airborne risk of coronavirus. (TNA)
