COVID-19 is substantially impacting all industries, but the communal nature of healthcare and assisted living facilities, and the fact that they serve high-risk populations living in close quarters makes them particularly vulnerable. Building ventilation, ionization, and pressurization zones are elements that can help control virus spread.

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HVAC systems are designed to maintain indoor air quality.  Not only does poor ventilation fail to prevent diseases from spreading, it can actively spread them through airborne means. Though COVID-19 is not predominantly an airborne disease, a recent study conducted by Princeton University, the University of California-Los Angeles and the National Institutes of Health found that “viable virus could be detected in aerosols up to 3 hours post-aerosolization.”

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When an infected person coughs or sneezes, the larger droplets fall rapidly however, smaller particles travel longer, and very small particles behave as aerosols.  Aerosols remain airborne for hours and can be inhaled by people nearby or transferred through a building’s HVAC system. 

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This webinar will review modes of COVID-19 transmission though ventilation systems and methods to reduce the spread – including ionization systems that promise to incapacitate the aerosolized virus.

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It will also review current CDC guidelines for disease prevention - specifically increased ventilation to reduce contaminated air. This webinar will also discuss the functionality of HVAC systems, current building ventilation codes, and the importance of pressurization zones as a strategy to reduce the spread.

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Mitigating disease spread through HVAC system modifications can be relatively easy, ranging from do it yourself solutions to making major modifications. This webinar will review various HVAC modifications (like using ionization or UV light) specifically designed to combat disease spread in healthcare and assisted living-type settings.

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Learning Objectives:

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1. Understand the most recent evidence surrounding the mass spread of COVID-19 through ventilation systems in healthcare and assist living type facilities and review specific modes of transmission through HVAC systems.
    

2. Understand the current CDC recommendations to reduce disease transmission - specifically increasing ventilation to reduce contaminated air.    
    

3. Understand the functionality of HVAC systems, outside air ventilation requirements, the importance of pressurization zones, and best design practices.
    

4. Understand the importance of making sure HVAC system filters are inspected, exhaust systems are operational, and outside air sources are maximized. 
    

5. Understand the process of augmenting HVAC systems with ionization and ultraviolet (UV) technology, and how to implement them.

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Keywords: COVID-19, Healthcare, HVAC Systems, UV technology, air ventilation requirements, transmission