The number of coronavirus cases is increasing daily, and it is becoming a huge concern to everyone due to the deadly nature of the virus. To this end, measures are constantly being put in place to fight the spread of this deadly virus. Apart from the adoption of social distancing, it is pertinent to ensure indoor ventilation which is effective in reducing the transmission of the disease.
Some Virologists have established that the disease spreads faster via respiratory droplets especially if an infected individual talks or coughs in an enclosed space. The droplets released can remain in the supply for some time before traveling for a while on the currents. The knowledge of this makes it necessary that the indoor air is regulated to ensure that only quality supply is inhaled.
A good way to inhibit the quick spread of COVID-19 or eliminate its spread will be having proper ventilation. Well ventilated space or room helps to flush out virus-infected air supply from an enclosed space or room. If you are seeking to know how ventilation affects the spread of covid-19 indoors, then you are in luck as this article will explain it in the simplest form for you to understand. We will also discuss some measures that you can adopt to reduce the spread of coronavirus indoors.
How Ventilation Affects the Spread Of COVID-19
When people are in an enclosed space like a room with just one infected person, the rest of the people in such a space are prone to contracting the virus. If the room is poorly ventilated, then the chances of the virus spreading to other people will definitely increase, especially if the infected person sneezes and the droplets remain in the supply for a long time.
This shows that the risks of contracting the virus are high when it comes to indoor spaces with poor ventilation. The transmission of the disease is done through the air when there is close contact of an uninfected person with an infected person.
Consequently, proper ventilation affects the spread of COVID-19 in a positive way. The infection risk reduces to less than an individual when indoor spaces are properly ventilated. Also, the circulation of the virus will reduce if other preventive measures are carried out. Some of these measures include the use of facemask and social distancing. To learn more about the importance of using facemasks and practicing social distancing, you can visit: https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/preventing-the-spread-of-the-coronavirus
How To Curb the Transmission of Coronavirus Indoors
The following are some tips to guide you:
Get Professionals to Inspect the Ventilation System
You would enjoy your HVAC unit better when experts recommend improved measures that will bring excellent circulation of air and filtration. Getting professionals to inspect your systems is the best bet in getting a good supply of fresh and clean air. They will also check that the air circulating section is working as it should. This will help push out virus-filled air to reduce the spread.
Use Local Exhaust and High-Efficiency Filtration
Since removing or pushing out bad air is the main reason here, it will also be effective to use other infection control methods. The truth is that if you are finding it difficult to either upgrade or replace your previously used HVAC systems or they have become more expensive to replace, then using cheaper systems should be encouraged.
Overcrowding Needs to Be Eliminated
This is one situation that should be avoided at all times. Apart from the spread of the COVID-19 virus, other contagious diseases are easily spread in a poorly ventilated space. It is ideal to have people keep a distance like six feet away. A respiratory droplet that contains the virus is easily transmitted in an overcrowded environment.
To curtail the transfer of the infection from one to another, very few people should be in a room at a time. Also, the use of facemask should be enforced alongside this too.
It is necessary to prepare some disposable protective products(PPE) at home, such as disposable gloves or masks, especially in the kitchen or bathroom where the bacteria are the most; disposable gloves can prevent you from being exposed to bacteria.
Installation of Air Monitors
Air quality monitoring systems are essential so that one can assess the quality of the air they inhale. Knowing the air quality of space at a given time will help one make adequate provisions for an improvement if there is a need. With a good monitoring system, there will be a reduction of air recirculation in the room, and it will help one to examine and confirm that enough outdoor supply is seeping into the room
A good system calculates the determinants of good ventilation like the level of air particles and CO2. It will then supply real-time metrics to users to be sure that the supply in the room is healthy enough. If you do not know how to identify quality air monitoring systems, you can seek the assistance of a professional.
These are some helpful tips to guide you in limiting the spread of COVID-19 indoors. If you are searching for other ways to improve indoor air quality, you can check here.
Conclusion
COVID-19 pandemic is here and unfortunately, it is a global health challenge that requires collective efforts to fight successfully. As much as the virus will not go away on its own, some measures are required to curb the spread. Poorly ventilated rooms make room for a fast spread of the virus, and we outlined some methods you can adopt to improve indoor air quality. We also discussed other measures that individuals can adopt to limit the spread of the coronavirus.