I’m no expert.
What I read is there are conflicting reports that it can become aerosolized. Right now, the belief is it’s in droplets in the air in coughs and sneezes, and even when people simply talk they can be spraying droplets into the air. if you are in the range of the droplets you can become infected. The droplets are fairly heavy and go down to the ground fairly quickly.
Extremely contagious diseases like measles the virus is so small they say it becomes aerosolized and it floats in the air for a very long time. So, it’s part of the air, or airborne rather than just a droplet traveling through the area and landing fairly quickly.
I looked up airborne several years ago, because the terminology was perplexing me that a disease that you can catch from a sneeze was not said to be airborne and what I found is basically what I explained above.
I guess a technical medical difference, but for the average person I think we would say you can catch it through the air if we can catch it standing next to someone. The measles example people catch it being in the same room, you don’t need to be very close.
Anyway, I guess they are not sure it’s floating in the air for a very long time like measles. You would think many more people would be sick if it was. Just my own non-expert opinion. If a cruise ship of non-vaccinated for measles people was floating around the sea and one had measles, Probably 80–90% of the people would get infected. It’s drastic. I’m not sure the exact percentages, but just saying it’s more drastic than what we see for C-19.
Last I saw during a presidential address they still confirm it is living on surfaces, and people need to be thinking what they are touching.
Again, I’m not an expert. Even the experts seem unsure.