There is still no definitive evidence that Covid-19 spreads through the air, an official of the Department of Health (DOH) said.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that there is “not enough” evidence for airborne transmission.
“As of the moment we have limited knowledge on the virus and its mode of transmission. Ayun po kay [According to] Dr Edsel Salvaña, member po ng [of] DOH technical advisory group, we already assume that this is airborne when we do aerosol generating procedures in our hospitals. This is why our healthcare workers used N95 mask and conduct strict prevention and control measures,” Vergeire said during the televised press conference
Vergeire was asked to give her reaction after 239 scientists in 32 countries called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to revise its recommendations that the virus is not airborne. The group outlined their evidence reportedly showing that small particles can infect people and inform WHO about it in an open letter.
The DOH maintained that the virus spread via droplet infection and that its presence in aerosols or air samples is not evidence of airborne transmission.
As for settings outside hospitals, Vergerie stressed that further study and evidences are necessary.
The DOH official reminded the public that precautions are still need to be taken.
“So what does this mean? We enjoin the public to wear mask at all times to reduce the transmission of this virus,” she said.
Covid cases
As of 4p.m. July 07, the total number of Covid-19 cases jumped to 47, 873 after 1,540 additional cases were logged.
Of the additional cases, 993 were detected as fresh cases and 547 were validated as late cases.
Tuesday’s fresh cases are based on the daily accomplishment reports submitted by only 69 out of 74 current operational labs.
The DOH likewise announced 201 recoveries. This brings the total number of recoveries to 12,386.
Six deaths were recorded. The death toll stood at 1,309.
Of the six reported deaths, three 50 percent) occurred in June. The total cases reported may be subject to change as these numbers undergo constant cleaning and validation.
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza
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