History of droplets vs. aerosol transmission

AI Thread Summary
The article highlights a significant oversight in early COVID-19 recommendations, which emphasized 2 meters of distance and handwashing while neglecting the risk of indoor transmission over longer distances. This oversight stemmed from misinterpretation of historical tuberculosis research. Although the WHO acknowledged airborne transmission by July 2020, the timing and visibility of this acknowledgment were questioned, with some arguing that sufficient evidence existed earlier for public health authorities to recommend improved ventilation. Singapore took proactive measures regarding ventilation as early as May 2020, indicating that awareness of airborne risks was present before the WHO's guidance. The discussion underscores the importance of accurately understanding disease transmission to mitigate future pandemics effectively.
Messages
37,371
Reaction score
14,197
TL;DR Summary
Long article discussing how our understanding of transmission changed during the pandemic
I found this interesting article: The 60-Year-Old Scientific Screwup That Helped Covid Kill

It discusses why the initial COVID recommendations were focused on 2 meters distance, hand washing but not much else, and how indoor transmission over larger distances was overlooked initially (largely increasing the impact of the pandemic) because an old tuberculosis measurement result was taken out of context long ago.

As paper: How Did We Get Here: What Are Droplets and Aerosols and How Far Do They Go? A Historical Perspective on the Transmission of Respiratory Infectious Diseases
 
Biology news on Phys.org
I don't agree with the article about the WHO being late to acknowledge airborne transmission. They did acknowledge airborne transmission by around July 2020, although maybe not in a forum that most people read. See the link in https://www.forbes.com/sites/jvchamary/2021/05/04/who-coronavirus-airborne/?sh=576146024472, although I don't agree with their interpretation either. There was certainly enough information by July 2020 for public health authorities etc to issue advice to improve ventilation. Singapore issued advice on ventilation in May 2020, before the WHO advice, but I would guess based on the same evidence https://www1.bca.gov.sg/docs/defaul...guidance-note-on-building-aircon-acmv-ops.pdf.
 
Deadly cattle screwworm parasite found in US patient. What to know. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2025/08/25/new-world-screwworm-human-case/85813010007/ Exclusive: U.S. confirms nation's first travel-associated human screwworm case connected to Central American outbreak https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/us-confirms-nations-first-travel-associated-human-screwworm-case-connected-2025-08-25/...
Chagas disease, long considered only a threat abroad, is established in California and the Southern U.S. According to articles in the Los Angeles Times, "Chagas disease, long considered only a threat abroad, is established in California and the Southern U.S.", and "Kissing bugs bring deadly disease to California". LA Times requires a subscription. Related article -...
I am reading Nicholas Wade's book A Troublesome Inheritance. Please let's not make this thread a critique about the merits or demerits of the book. This thread is my attempt to understanding the evidence that Natural Selection in the human genome was recent and regional. On Page 103 of A Troublesome Inheritance, Wade writes the following: "The regional nature of selection was first made evident in a genomewide scan undertaken by Jonathan Pritchard, a population geneticist at the...

Similar threads

Back
Top