CDC updates guidance to say coronavirus can be spread through the air
21 September 2020
The CDC updated its guidance on Friday to acknowledge that the coronavirus can be transmitted through the air at distances farther than six feet and through"droplets or small particles, such as those in aerosols" like coughs or sneezes.
Why it matters: The update — which was little noticed until a CNN story was published Sunday — comes months after scientists pushed for the agency to acknowledge the disease was transmissible through the air. The CDC previously said that close person-to-person contact was the bigger concern.
- The agency acknowledged that airborne transmission is now thought to be the "main way the virus spreads," adding that proper air ventilation is important.
- "There is growing evidence that droplets and airborne particles can remain suspended in the air and be breathed in by others, and travel distances beyond six feet (for example, during choir practice, in restaurants, or in fitness classes). In general, indoor environments without good ventilation increase this risk," the agency wrote.
Worth noting: The CDC also recently updated its guidance around testing for asymptomatic people after stating in August, against the recommendation of scientists, that asymptomatic people do not need to be tested.
The big picture: A slew of recent reporting suggests deep politicization of the Trump administration's coronavirus response, per Axios' Caitlin Owens.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.