A breath of fresh air

Indoor air quality has never been a more pertinent subject during such times, especially now with most of us being indoors

Among the numerous questions that linger in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of them is whether the virus can be transmitted through airconditioning systems.

At the moment, there is currently no evidence that Covid-19 can spread through airconditioning systems, according to Professor Leo Yee Sin, executive director of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).

While a recent study by NCID researchers had found that the virus causing Covid-19 could be found in isolation facilities, including in an air duct connected to the room of one of the patients, it does not prove that this disease is an airborne one.

Studies have shown that the main way the virus is spread is through respiratory droplets.

Additionally, in the knowledge of Eurovent (Europe’s Industry Association for Indoor Climate, Process Cooling, and Food Cold Chain Technologies), no authorities have yet issued guidance for the operation of (mechanical) ventilation systems.

However, also according to one air quality expert, the crisis onboard the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan showed how germs can spread rapidly through air conditioning systems that can’t filter out particles as small as the new coronavirus.