WHO: Worried about fast spreading coronavirus outbreaks in the Americas

The World Health Organization said Tuesday that it's worried about the rapidly worsening outbreaks in Latin America, indicating Brazil and the U.S. were big concerns. Without mentioning the United States by name, WHO officials indicated that they are worried about the country's current surge in coronavirus cases. For more coronavirus live updates: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/07/coronavirus-live-updates.html. For access to live and exclusive video from CNBC subscribe to CNBC PRO: https://cnb.cx/2NGeIvi The World Health Organization said Tuesday that it is reviewing new evidence on whether the coronavirus can spread through particles in the air. The WHO has long said the virus is generally transmitted through large respiratory droplets, often when someone sneezes or coughs. The United Nations health agency warned in March that such droplets could be kicked up into the air where they might become airborne and linger in certain environments. “We have been talking about the possibility of airborne transmission, aerosol transmission, as one of the modes of transmission of Covid-19 as well as droplets,” said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO’s emerging diseases and zoonosis unit. “We will be issuing our brief in the coming weeks and that will outline everything that we have in this area.” The WHO’s remarks come after 239 scientists from 32 different countries published an open letter to the organization calling for it to update its information on the coronavirus. In an article entitled “It is Time to Address Airborne Transmission of COVID-19,” the group of scientists contend that the WHO needs to give more weight to the role of the airborne spread of Covid-19. The New York Times first reported the news Saturday. “The body of evidence continues to grow and we adapt,” Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the WHO’s chief scientist, said Tuesday. “We take this very seriously. We are of course focused on public health guidance.” Some scientists have criticized the WHO for being slow to issue guidance on the latest research into the coronavirus, which emerged in Wuhan, China, a little over seven months ago. The WHO has defended its guidance, saying that it’s transparent about its review process and applies healthy skepticism to research that has not been peer-reviewed. On some days, the WHO reviews up to 1,000 publications, officials said. A typical day might mean WHO researchers are combing through about 500 new studies on topics ranging from how the virus spreads to drugs to treat Covid-19. » Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision » Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC » Subscribe to CNBC Classic: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCclassic Turn to CNBC TV for the latest stock market news and analysis. From market futures to live price updates CNBC is the leader in business news worldwide. Connect with CNBC News Online Get the latest news: http://www.cnbc.com/ Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: https://cnb.cx/LinkedInCNBC Follow CNBC News on Facebook: https://cnb.cx/LikeCNBC Follow CNBC News on Twitter: https://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC Follow CNBC News on Instagram: https://cnb.cx/InstagramCNBC #CNBC #CNBCTV End Screen I don't think reopening the state is wise at all: Dr. Ted Ross