Open Access Peer-reviewed Review

Can ventilation in healthcare facilities prevention of infection COVID-19?

Article Sidebar

Condition type of design
Download PDF
Submitted   May 14, 2021
Published   Sep 7, 2021
Issue    Vol 2 No 1 (2021)
DOI   10.25082/HE.2021.01.004

Views

1310

Downloads

740

Citations

PlumX Metrics

Main Article Content

Abdolmajid Fadaei corresponding author
Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran

Abstract

Currently, (2019-2020) COVID-19 global pandemic is caused by a member of the Coronaviridae group. Some human viruses are spread from human to human by way of droplets or aerosols, but fewer viruses are persistently airborne in transmission, and the healthcare-associated epidemic of airborne viral infection are restricted to very few surrogates. The prevention of air pollutants (i.e., biological, particles, chemicals, and smoke) at the resource has the highest efficiency to keep safe air. In addition, it is one of the most efficient tools (i.e. the second one) for preventing inside air pollution through ventilation. To our aim was to perform a rapid literature review to answer the following question: does ventilation in healthcare facilities prevention of infection COVID-19? We systematically searched Embase, PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, PubMed Central (PMC), Google Scholar databases as well as medRxiv by using the following key-words: ‘COVID-19’, ‘healthcare settings’, ‘prevention’, ‘ventilation’, ‘Hospital, ‘Infection’, and ‘Air changes per hour. A total of 26 eligible articles were identified. The literature denotes that temperature, relative humidity, and ventilation and air conditioning systems have beneficial effects to prevent COVID-19 infection. Thus, based on recommendations of CDC, WHO, and other studies effective ventilation is the most important transmission of respiratory disease control strategy, specially COVID-19.

Keywords
corona viruses infections, prevention and control, ventilation

Article Details

Supporting Agencies
The author thanks Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences.
How to Cite
Fadaei, A. (2021). Can ventilation in healthcare facilities prevention of infection COVID-19?. Health and Environment, 2(1), 96-102. https://doi.org/10.25082/HE.2021.01.004
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

References

  1. Xu K, Cui K, Young L, et al. Impact of the COVID-19 event on air quality in central China. Aerosol Air Quality Research, 2020, 20: 915-929. https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2020.04.0150
  2. Sadeghi M, Fadaei A and Ataee M. Assessment of hospitals medical waste management in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province in Iran. Archives of Agriculture and Environmental Science, 2020, 5(2): 157-163. https://doi.org/10.26832/24566632.2020.0502011
  3. Chirico F, Sacco A, Bragazzi NL, et al. Can air-conditioning systems contribute to the spread of SARS/MERS/COVID-19 infection? Insights from a rapid review of the literature. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020, 17(17): 6052. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176052
  4. Correia G, Rodrigues L, Da Silva MG, et al. Airborne route and bad use of ventilation systems as non-negligible factors in SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Medical Hypotheses, 2020, 141: 109781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2020.109781
  5. Dom´ınguez-Amarillo S, Fern´andez-Ag¨uera J, Cesteros-Garc´ıa S, et al. Bad air can also kill: residential indoor air quality and pollutant exposure risk during the COVID-19 crisis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020, 17(19): 7183. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17197183
  6. Harbizadeh A, Mirzaee SA, Khosravi AD, et al. Indoor and outdoor airborne bacterial air quality in day-care centers (DCCs) in greater Ahvaz, Iran. Atmospheric Environment, 2019, 216: 116927. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2019.116927
  7. Manisalidis I, Stavropoulou E, Stavropoulos A, et al. Environmental and health impacts of air pollution: A review. Frontiers in Public Health, 2020, 8: 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00014
  8. Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, et al. Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and metaanalyses: the PRISMA statement. International Journal of Surgery, 2010, 8(5): 336-341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsu.2010.02.007
  9. Organization WH. Infection prevention and control during health care when novel coronavirus (nCoV) infection is suspected: interim guidance, 25 January 2020.
  10. Organization WH. Infection prevention and control during health care when COVID-19 is suspected: interim guidance, 19 March 2020. World Health Organization, 2020.
  11. Feng Y, Marchal T, Sperry T, et al. Influence of wind and relative humidity on the social distancing effectiveness to prevent COVID-19 airborne transmission: A numerical study. Journal of Aerosol Science, 2020, 147: 105585. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaerosci.2020.105585
  12. Jayaweera M, Perera H, Gunawardana B, et al. Transmission of COVID-19 virus by droplets and aerosols: A critical review on the unresolved dichotomy. Environmental Research, 2020, 188: 109819. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2020.109819
  13. Control CfD, Prevention. Scientific brief: SARS-CoV-2 and potential airborne transmission, 2020.
  14. Somsen GA, van Rijn C, Kooij S, et al. Small droplet aerosols in poorly ventilated spaces and SARS-CoV-2 transmission. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 2020, 8(7): 658-659. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30245-9
  15. Correia G, Rodrigues L, Silva M, et al. Airborne route and bad use of ventilation systems as nonnegligible factors in SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Medical Hypotheses, 2020, 141: 109781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2020.109781
  16. Covaci A. How can airborne transmission of COVID-19 indoors be minimized? Environment International, 2020, 142: 105832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.105832
  17. Habeebullah TM, Abd El-Rahim IH and Morsy EA. Impact of outdoor and indoor meteorological conditions on the COVID-19 transmission in the western region of Saudi Arabia. Journal of Environmental Management, 2021, 288: 112392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112392
  18. Masoumbeigi H, Ghanizadeh G, Arfaei RY, et al. Investigation of hospital indoor air quality for the presence of SARS-Cov-2. Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering, 2020, 18(2): 1259-1263. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40201-020-00543-3
  19. Faridi S, Niazi S, Sadeghi K, et al. A field indoor air measurement of SARS-CoV-2 in the patient rooms of the largest hospital in Iran. Science of the Total Environment, 2020, 725: 138401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138401
  20. Li Y, Fan Y, Jiang L, et al. Aerosol and environmental surface monitoring for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in a designated hospital for severe COVID-19 patients. Epidemiology & Infection, 2020, 148: 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268820001570
  21. Belingheri M, Paladino ME, Riva MA. COVID-19: health prevention and control in non-healthcare settings. Oxford University Press UK, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqaa048
  22. Bhagat RK, Wykes MD, Dalziel SB, Linden P. Effects of ventilation on the indoor spread of COVID- 19. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 2020, 903: F1. https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2020.720
  23. Fadaei A. Comparison of environmental health indices of private clinics in Chramahal and Bakhtiari province, Iran. Advances in Environmental Biology, 2014, 8(7): 2335-2338.
  24. Azuma K, Yanagi U, Kagi N, et al. Environmental factors involved in SARS-CoV-2 transmission: effect and role of indoor environmental quality in the strategy for COVID-19 infection control. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 2020, 25(1): 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12199-020-00904-2
  25. Ahmadi D and Fadaei A. Efficiency Evaluation of Hospitals Sterilization by Biological and Chemical Methods. Quality of Life, 2021, 20(1-2): 23-30.
  26. Shajahan A, Culp CH, Williamson B. Effects of indoor environmental parameters related to building heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems on patients’ medical outcomes: A review of scientific research on hospital buildings. Indoor Air, 2019, 29(2): 161-176. https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12531
  27. Dietz L, Horve P, Coil D, et al. 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic: Built Environment Considerations To Reduce Transmission. Applied and Environmental Science, 2020, 5(2): e00245-20. https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00245-20
  28. Ahlawat A, Wiedensohler A and Mishra SK. An Overview on the role of relative humidity in airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in indoor environments. Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 2020, 20(9): 1856-1861. https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2020.06.0302
  29. Balaras CA, Gaglia AG, Georgopoulou E, et al. European residential buildings and empirical assessment of the Hellenic building stock, energy consumption, emissions and potential energy savings. Building and Environment, 2007, 42(3): 1298-1314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2005.11.001
  30. Yao M, Zhang L, Ma J, et al. On airborne transmission and control of SARS-Cov-2. Science of The Total Environment, 2020, 731: 139178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139178
  31. Biktasheva IV. Role of a habitat’s air humidity in Covid-19 mortality. Science of the Total Environment, 2020, 736: 138763. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138763
  32. Huang Z, Huang J, Gu Q, et al. Optimal temperature zone for the dispersal of COVID-19. Science of The Total Environment, 2020, 736: 139487. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139487
  33. Lyon A and Freer Y. Goals and options in keeping preterm babies warm. Archives of Disease in Childhood-Fetal and Neonatal Edition, 2011, 96(1): 71-74. https://doi.org/10.1136/adc.2009.161158
  34. Hassan MM, El Zowalaty ME, Khan SA, et al. Role of Environmental Temperature on the Attack rate and Case fatality rate of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic. Infection Ecology & Epidemiology, 2020, 10(1): 1792620. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008686.2020.1792620
  35. Fadaei A. Ventilation Systems and COVID-19 Spread: Evidence from a Systematic Review Study. European Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 2021, 5(2): em0158. https://doi.org/10.21601/ejosdr/10845
  36. Chinn RY and Sehulster L. Guidelines for environmental infection control in health-care facilities; recommendations of CDC and Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC), 2003.
  37. Guo M, Xu P, Xiao T, et al. Review and comparison of HVAC operation guidelines in different countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Building and Environment, 2020, 187: 107368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107368
  38. Noorimotlagh Z, Jaafarzadeh N, Mart´ınez SS, et al. A systematic review of possible airborne transmission of the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) in the indoor air environment. Environmental Research, 2020, 193: 110612. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2020.110612
  39. Chen C, Zhao B, Yang X, et al. Role of two-way airflow owing to temperature difference in severe acute respiratory syndrome transmission: revisiting the largest nosocomial severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in Hong Kong. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 2011, 8(58): 699-710. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2010.0486
  40. Mousavi ES and Grosskopf KR. Ventilation rates and airflow pathways in patient rooms: A case study of bioaerosol containment and removal. Annals of Occupational Hygiene, 2015, 59(9): 1190-1199. https://doi.org/10.1093/annhyg/mev048
  41. Zhu S, Jenkins S, Addo K, et al. Ventilation and laboratory confirmed acute respiratory infection (ARI) rates in college residence halls in College Park, Maryland. Environment International, 2020, 137: 105537. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.105537
  42. Morawska L, Tang JW, Bahnfleth W, et al. How can airborne transmission of COVID-19 indoors be minimised? Environment International, 2020, 142: 105832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.105832
  43. Escombe AR, Ticona E, Ch´avez-P´erez V, et al. Improving natural ventilation in hospital waiting and consulting rooms to reduce nosocomial tuberculosis transmission risk in a low resource setting. BMC Infectious Diseases, 2019, 19(1): 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-019-3717-9
  44. Sundell J, Levin H, Nazaroff WW, et al. Ventilation rates and health: multidisciplinary review of the scientific literature. Indoor Air, 2011, 21(3): 191-204. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0668.2010.00703.x