Scientific evidence supports aerosol transmission of SARS-COV-2

Excerpt

We question the evidence cited by Conly et al. [1] to justify recommending masks for routine care of COVID-19 patients. As evidence, the authors cite the R0 and include several references that are not primary research, and only two primary studies. One of these is a study of hospital contamination which found evidence of surface contamination within a hospital but was negative for air samples [2]. This same study is used as evidence supporting contact and fomite transmission, but other studies which did find virus in air samples were disregarded [3‐6] Ong et al. found evidence of virus on hospital air vents, but this is disregarded, and the meaning of finding viral RNA in air samples is questioned by Conly et al. This represents shifting goalposts for proving airborne transmission of SARS-COV-2, which was initially denied altogether, then changed to questioning the infectious potential of air in which viral RNA is found, to later questioning the infectious dose required in air, after viable virus was demonstrated in the air [6]. In fact, viable SARS-COV-2 has been found in the air in hospital rooms in the absence of aerosol generating procedures [6]. …