"We didn't focus on ventilation as much early on as we probably should have," says Abraar Karan, a physician and global health researcher at Harvard Medical School. There are only a few published studies looking at that issue, and experts admit there has been too little research into the role of HVAC systems in the spread of the novel coronavirus. In fact, other infectious diseases such as measles, tuberculosis, chickenpox, influenza, smallpox and SARS have all been shown to spread through heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.īut drawing definitive conclusions about the role that HVAC systems might play in spreading COVID-19 is difficult. Consequently, there's a possibility that air conditioning may be a potential route of transmission - sucking in virus particles breathed out by an infected person and then blowing those infectious particles back out in the same room or even another room several floors away. However, it has been generally accepted that it does occur, especially in closed indoor settings. Goats and Soda Coronavirus FAQ: How Do I Protect Myself If The Coronavirus Can Linger In The Air?Īmong scientists, there is ongoing debate about the extent to which aerosol transmission causes infection. Since they are much smaller than droplets, aerosols can travel greater distances and get deep into the lungs of someone who inhales them. Then there's aerosol transmission - when an infected person expels microscopic infectious particles so tiny that they linger in the air and spread from person to person in air currents.
But if they come into contact with someone's eyes, nose or mouth, they can transmit the virus. These droplets generally disperse within a few feet of the person who expels them.
The answer to that question rests on the way the virus is transmitted - a topic that is still being researched.ĭroplet transmission is considered the most common method: A virus-filled particle of breath or spittle comes out of the nose or mouth of an infected individual when they breathe, speak, cough or sneeze. Is that a problem when it comes to the spread of the coronavirus? In the dog days of August, air conditioning is everywhere. Scientists say there has been too little research into the role of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in the spread of the coronavirus.
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