Concerns that COVID-19 could spread indoors this winter
- 3 years ago
춥고 건조하면 코로나19 전파 커질 위험...실내 '환기•가습' 중요
For years, doctors have known viruses spread more rapidly in cold dry air.
That's why winter is so devastating for flu cases and deaths and now the same is holding true for Covid-19.
Key to reduce the risk of transmission: wear masks, mind our distance from others, but also when indoors, opt for spaces that are well ventilated.
Now, with the onset of dry, wintry weather and heaters running full blast, add another strategy: humidification.
Choi Won-jong tells us why.
With the freezing weather and strict social distancing measures, more people in South Korea are staying indoors.
Last month, the health authorities urged people to hunker down this winter.
"As we are facing winter, there are more indoor activities but with less indoor ventilation,... this means more risk of spreading COVID-19. I think this may be a reason why the second pandemic is occurring globally,... particularly in the northern hemisphere."
According to a preliminary report from Japanese scientists in April this year, it suggested that the odds that an infected person transmitted COVID-19 in an enclosed space was 18-point-7 times greater than in the open air,... meaning places with poor ventilation may have a higher risk of COVID-19 infection.
So why is it so vital to increase ventilation to prevent the spread of COVID-19?
"Aerosols that are made up of droplets can float in the air for a long time. There could be a higher risk of COVID-19 infection if the virus floats in aerosol particles in enclosed spaces during winter."
He added that the low humidity in winter makes ventilation even more important.
"The humidity drops in winter, which can reduce the moisture in the droplets or aerosol further. This will allow it to float in the air for longer. "
And, the low humidity in winter affects the humidity inside people's air passages.
This can weaken our immune systems and ability to fight COVID-19.
To keep homes well ventilated, people should open their windows for at least 5 minutes every hour.
The expert also says... for office settings where more people are staying for a longer period of time, workers should open windows... for at least 10 minutes every hour.
Choi Won-jong, Arirang News.
For years, doctors have known viruses spread more rapidly in cold dry air.
That's why winter is so devastating for flu cases and deaths and now the same is holding true for Covid-19.
Key to reduce the risk of transmission: wear masks, mind our distance from others, but also when indoors, opt for spaces that are well ventilated.
Now, with the onset of dry, wintry weather and heaters running full blast, add another strategy: humidification.
Choi Won-jong tells us why.
With the freezing weather and strict social distancing measures, more people in South Korea are staying indoors.
Last month, the health authorities urged people to hunker down this winter.
"As we are facing winter, there are more indoor activities but with less indoor ventilation,... this means more risk of spreading COVID-19. I think this may be a reason why the second pandemic is occurring globally,... particularly in the northern hemisphere."
According to a preliminary report from Japanese scientists in April this year, it suggested that the odds that an infected person transmitted COVID-19 in an enclosed space was 18-point-7 times greater than in the open air,... meaning places with poor ventilation may have a higher risk of COVID-19 infection.
So why is it so vital to increase ventilation to prevent the spread of COVID-19?
"Aerosols that are made up of droplets can float in the air for a long time. There could be a higher risk of COVID-19 infection if the virus floats in aerosol particles in enclosed spaces during winter."
He added that the low humidity in winter makes ventilation even more important.
"The humidity drops in winter, which can reduce the moisture in the droplets or aerosol further. This will allow it to float in the air for longer. "
And, the low humidity in winter affects the humidity inside people's air passages.
This can weaken our immune systems and ability to fight COVID-19.
To keep homes well ventilated, people should open their windows for at least 5 minutes every hour.
The expert also says... for office settings where more people are staying for a longer period of time, workers should open windows... for at least 10 minutes every hour.
Choi Won-jong, Arirang News.