Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • NEWS

Is the coronavirus airborne? Experts can’t agree

The World Health Organization says the evidence is not compelling, but scientists warn that gathering sufficient data could take years and cost lives.
  1. Dyani Lewis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

Since early reports revealed that a new coronavirus was spreading rapidly between people, researchers have been trying to pin down whether it can travel through the air. Health officials say the virus is transported only through droplets that are coughed or sneezed out — either directly, or on objects. But some scientists say there is preliminary evidence that airborne transmission — in which the disease spreads in the much smaller particles from exhaled air, known as aerosols — is occurring, and that precautions, such as increasing ventilation indoors, should be recommended to reduce the risk of infection.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Nature 580, 175 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-00974-w

References

  1. Liu, Y. et al. Preprint at bioRxiv http://doi.org/dqts (2020).

  2. Ong, S. W. X. et al. J. Am. Med. Assoc. http://doi.org/ggngth (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Santarpia, J. L. et al. Preprint at medRxiv http://doi.org/dqtw (2020).

  4. van Doremalen, N. et al. N. Engl. J. Med. http://doi.org/ggn88w (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Yan, J. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 115, 1081–1086 (2018).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Cheng, V. C. C. et al. Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2020.58 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Subjects

Latest on:

Nature Careers

Jobs

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links