CDC CHANGES, RETRACTS, ITS TAKE ON VIRUS SPREAD
NEW YORK — The top U.S. public health agency stirred confusion by posting — and then taking down — an apparent change in its position on how easily the coronavirus can spread from person to person on small droplets in the air.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that the virus spreads primarily through small airborne droplets, like those that fly through the air when someone coughs or sneezes. Most CDC guidance about social distancing is built around that idea, saying that 6 feet is a safe buffer between people who are not wearing masks.
In interviews, CDC officials have also acknowledged growing evidence that the virus can sometimes spread on even smaller, aerosolized particles or droplets that spread over a wider area.
For months, the agency’s website said little about aerosolized particles. So when the CDC quietly posted an update Friday that discussed the particles in more detail, the agency’s position appeared to have changed.
The post said the virus can remain suspended and drift more than 6 feet, and officials emphasized the importance of indoor ventilation. The post also added singing and breathing to the ways the virus can go airborne.
On Monday, federal health officials said the post was a mistake and that it had been released before full editing and clearance was completed. In a statement released Monday, the agency said the revisions to the “How COVID-19 Spreads” page happened “without appropriate in-house technical review.”
“We are reviewing our process and tightening criteria for review of all guidance and updates before they are posted to the CDC website,” the statement said.
U.K. clamps down on pubs
British pubs will have to close early and people who fail to obey quarantine rules will face stiff fines under new lockdown restrictions to curb a surging wave of new coronavirus infections. The U.K.’s chief medical officers raised the nation’s COVID-19 alert level, saying the virus is in general circulation and spreading fast.