TY - JOUR
T1 - Systematic Review of the Key Factors Influencing the Indoor Airborne Spread of SARS-CoV-2
T2 - Pathogens
AU - de Crane D’Heysselaer, Simon
AU - Parisi, Gianni
AU - Lisson, Maxime
AU - Bruyère, Olivier
AU - Donneau, Anne Françoise
AU - Fontaine, Sebastien
AU - Gillet, Laurent
AU - Bureau, Fabrice
AU - Darcis, Gilles
AU - Thiry, Etienne
AU - Ducatez, Mariette
AU - Snoeck, Chantal J.
AU - Zientara, Stéphan
AU - Haddad, Nadia
AU - Humblet, Marie France
AU - Ludwig-Begall, Louisa F.
AU - Daube, Georges
AU - Thiry, Damien
AU - Misset, Benoît
AU - Lambermont, Bernard
AU - Tandjaoui-Lambiotte, Yacine
AU - Zahar, Jean Raph
AU - Sartor, Kevin
AU - Noël, Catherine
AU - Saegerman, Claude
AU - Haubruge, Eric
N1 - Funding Information:
This systematic review was funded by the University of Liège, under a strategic opportunity credit to build an institutional Risk Management Cockpit for COVID-19.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 by the authors.
PY - 2023/2/27
Y1 - 2023/2/27
N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic due to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been plaguing the world since late 2019/early 2020 and has changed the way we function as a society, halting both economic and social activities worldwide. Classrooms, offices, restaurants, public transport, and other enclosed spaces that typically gather large groups of people indoors, and are considered focal points for the spread of the virus. For society to be able to go “back to normal”, it is crucial to keep these places open and functioning. An understanding of the transmission modes occurring in these contexts is essential to set up effective infection control strategies. This understanding was made using a systematic review, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses statement (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. We analyze the different parameters influencing airborne transmission indoors, the mathematical models proposed to understand it, and discuss how we can act on these parameters. Methods to judge infection risks through the analysis of the indoor air quality are described. Various mitigation measures are listed, and their efficiency, feasibility, and acceptability are ranked by a panel of experts in the field. Thus, effective ventilation procedures controlled by CO2-monitoring, continued mask wearing, and a strategic control of room occupancy, among other measures, are put forth to enable a safe return to these essential places.
AB - The COVID-19 pandemic due to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been plaguing the world since late 2019/early 2020 and has changed the way we function as a society, halting both economic and social activities worldwide. Classrooms, offices, restaurants, public transport, and other enclosed spaces that typically gather large groups of people indoors, and are considered focal points for the spread of the virus. For society to be able to go “back to normal”, it is crucial to keep these places open and functioning. An understanding of the transmission modes occurring in these contexts is essential to set up effective infection control strategies. This understanding was made using a systematic review, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses statement (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. We analyze the different parameters influencing airborne transmission indoors, the mathematical models proposed to understand it, and discuss how we can act on these parameters. Methods to judge infection risks through the analysis of the indoor air quality are described. Various mitigation measures are listed, and their efficiency, feasibility, and acceptability are ranked by a panel of experts in the field. Thus, effective ventilation procedures controlled by CO2-monitoring, continued mask wearing, and a strategic control of room occupancy, among other measures, are put forth to enable a safe return to these essential places.
KW - air quality
KW - airborne transmission
KW - CO
KW - COVID-19
KW - indoor
KW - mitigation measures
KW - SARS-CoV-2
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85151437316&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36986304
U2 - 10.3390/pathogens12030382
DO - 10.3390/pathogens12030382
M3 - Review article
C2 - 36986304
VL - 12
JO - Pathogens
JF - Pathogens
IS - 3
M1 - 382
ER -