Covid can be airborne, US CDC guidelines now say

                  Covid can be airborne, US CDC guidelines now say

Coronavirus can be spread by tiny particles suspended in the air, sometimes for hours, says the US Centers For Diseases Control.

Its updated guidance says this airborne route of transmission is still uncommon-bigger droplets from coughs, sneeze and talking are the still the main source.

People are at higher risk of catching it the longer and closer they are to someone who has the virus.

Last month the CDC published and then took down a draft version of the guidance warning about possible airborne transmission , saying it had been posted in error.

At the time WHO(world health org) said it knew of no new evidences to suggest this was how the virus was spreading, although it agreed that aerosol transmission was possible in some circumtances.

There are some examples where people with Covid have infected others who were 6ft or 2m away. Others have caught the virus in an air space that an infectious person was present in minutes or hours later.

The CDC says these are rare, and existing advice on protective behaviours- washing hands, waering face coverings and social distancing- remains the same.

People can protect themselves from the virus that causes covid-19 by staying at least 6ft  away from the others , wearing a mask that covers their nose and mouth, washing their hands frequently, cleaning touched surfaces often and staying home when sick," says the CDC.