The airway as a source of infection for COVID gives more importance to the proper use of ventilation as a main preventive measure to complement social distancing, the use of masks and hand washing.
From the preventive point of view, to minimize the possibility of infection we must consider some principles: reducing the concentration of aerosols, and reducing the time of exposure to these aerosols, on top of avoiding the emission of pollutants (coughing, sneezing, yelling, etc.)
The elimination of these suspended particles in the air, which may contain viruses and could be introduced by other people breathing the same air, will be executed fundamentally through the ventilation systems of interior spaces. Generally, it is considered that staying outdoors almost eradicates the risk of infection through airways.
If we must enumerate the functions of a ventilation system, they would be as follows:
- Renewing air: exchanging air from the outside with air from the inside to expel stale air contaminated by the activities carried out inside the facilities. Renewing air allows the elimination of pollutants, odor control and other comfort parameters.
- Particle filtering: the outside air as well as the inside air must be filtered to avoid the presence of particles. It is also possible to remove odors with special filters.
- Air conditioning: adaptation of the thermal and humidity conditions based on people’s needs or on their activities.
Let us all take care of each other.
