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Comment by ransom1538 | Hacker News Reader

" It's getting real now. Wash you hands, and avoid touching your face. Plan to spend less time in close proximity to others."

It is airborne. This virus attacks the lungs (please google). Why on earth are people saying wash your hands. It transfers through: "respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes." Wash your hands sure, but this isn't going to save you --- watch what you BREATH.

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The virus isn't truly airborne. The respiratory droplets can be carried in the air short distances, but direct infection from that is extremely unlikely outside of someone literally sneezing in your face.

This is in contrast to diseases like anthrax, where particles can be carried on air currents basically indefinitely and direct infection from the airborne disease is likely.

Did you make this up? Can you site a source?

I'm too lazy to cite sources but I'll say I've read plenty that confirm that it is not 'airborne'.

Nonetheless, I understand that it's aerosolised and this does carry further than just a sneeze to the face. So, worse than crooked-v says, but better than airborne.

Happy to be corrected though.

Droplets contaminated public surfaces like door handles, elevator buttons, etc, and one person normally touches his/her face hundreds of times per day.

Because there are other vectors of contact besides breathing. Since we can't stop breathing, we can at least minimize infection through other vectors, even if they represent less likely avenues of infection.

Not sure why you are getting downvoted. There are many unknowns with this and if you see what is happening in China to disinfect, they clearly believe it is airborne.

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