EFFECTS OF THE VENTILATION STRATEGIES ON THE RISK OF HOUSEHOLD TRANSMISSION OF SARS-COV-2

Abstract

Good ventilation practices have become increasingly important in protecting against airborne and droplets transmission. However, concerns regarding the household spread are frequently raised. In comparison to the virus-containment facilities such as hospitals with existing negative pressure rooms to isolate airborne diseases from the rest of the facility, residential homes lack the adequate Air-Conditioning and Mechanical Ventilation (ACMV) systems to contain the virus within the isolation room. A research gap was found in both international and local contexts with regards to assessing the adequate ventilation and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in confined home spaces.

This study seeks to explore the COVID-19 home recovery situation in Singapore and assess the effects of ventilation interventions on the risk of aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2. This is followed by examining the impact of the door opening motions on the dispersion potential of particles carrying the virus. To achieve the objectives of this study, literature reviews were conducted and the practical scenarios of the application of different ventilation strategies at home were showcased in the present experimental study. In addition, data analysis was carried out and the results were validated by recent scientific findings.

The findings indicate that while the implementation of mechanical ventilation (MV) strategies involving ceiling fan or pedestal fan in a naturally ventilated environment was capable of delivering a significantly lower risk of airborne transmission as compared to air-conditioning (AC) systems, having an exhaust fan can effectively help mitigate the effects of indoor transmission of aerosol particles, especially in the AC scenarios.