Remember all that stuff the CDC just said about "airborne" COVID?
Go ahead and ignore it.
After publishing guidance warning about the serious risks of "airborne" infection associated with SARS-CoV-2, the CDC just seriously harmed its own credibility by acknowledging Monday that it had posted the new guidance "in error", following a pressure campaign from the WHO.
Scientists have been gathering evidence that the novel coronavirus plaguing the world spreads via aerosol particles practically since it first emerged, and back in July, a group of 200 scientists sent a letter to the WHO urging the international public health agency to change its guidance on the spread of the disease. The problem scientists argued is that the WHO hasn't updated its views to incorporate new research showing that aerosol spread is a much greater threat than touching contaminated surfaces, or via large droplets spread by close contact between individuals.
Yet, the WHO has refused these overtures, and this week it successfully convinced the CDC to do the same.
After the WHO announced earlier that it had reached out to the CDC over the guidance change, the agency informed American media outlets that a "draft version" of the guidance had been "posted in error".
"A draft version of proposed changes to these recommendations was posted in error to the agency’s official website," the CDC said. "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."
Even so, the American media has grown increasingly convinced that aerosols significantly contribute to overall spread of the virus, with ABC News suggesting yesterday that expensive UV-light powered surface cleaners were merely examples of "hygiene theater". For months, the CDC has insisted that these large droplets are the primary mode of transmission, which is why - it argued - people must wear masks in public, because masks are effective at blocking large particles.
BERLIN, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 21: Clubbing enthusiasts dance to techno music during the "Love World Peace Parade" on September 21, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. Several hundred participants, most wearing face masks, danced while accompanied by two party trucks in the city center at an event meant to be reminiscent of the Love Parade. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)