The CDC removed new guidelines suggesting the COVID-19 virus is most commonly spread via airborne transmission, reports The Washington Post.
The agency's website was updated Sept. 18, stating the main mode of transmission is via respiratory droplets or aerosols released into the air when individuals cough, sneeze, sing, talk or breathe. But the guidelines were removed midday Sept. 21 because the information was a draft version of proposed changes posted in error to the agency's official site, according to the CDC.
A top CDC official told the Post the update was removed because "that does not reflect our current state of knowledge."
In an emailed statement to CNN, CDC spokesperson Jason McDonald said, "CDC is currently updating its recommendations regarding airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19). Once this process has been completed, the update[d] language will be posted."
No political pressure was involved in the change, an unnamed federal official familiar with the situation told CNN. "This was totally the CDC's doing," the official said. "It was posted by mistake."
The official said aerosol transmission can occur, "but it's not the way the virus is primarily being transmitted."
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