(Reuters) - The new coronavirus is likely spreading through the air to some degree, the top U.S. infectious disease official said on Friday, one day after the World Health Organization urged further studies on the ways the virus is transmitted. "Still some question about aerosol but likely some degree of aerosol," Anthony Fauci, the head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said by video during a panel session at a COVID-19 conference organized by the International AIDS Society. Fauci on Thursday had said it was a "reasonable assumption" that airborne transmission was occurring even though there was not a lot of solid evidence behind it. The WHO urged more studies on the issue. The number of cases in the United States has surged to more than 3 million as states that quickly reopened bars and restaurants have reported sharp increases.

Source: International New York Times July 10, 2020 15:19 UTC