The role of air conditioning in the diffusion of Sars-CoV-2 in indoor environments: A first computational fluid dynamic model, based on investigations performed at the Vatican State Children's hospital.

ABSTRACT:

Background

About 15 million people worldwide were affected by the Sars-Cov-2 infection, which already caused 600,000 deaths. This virus is mainly transmitted through exhalations from the airways of infected persons, so that Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems might play a role in increasing or reducing the spreading of the infection in indoor environments.

Methods

We modeled the role of HVAC systems in the diffusion of the contagion through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of cough at the "Bambino Gesù" Vatican State Children's Hospital. Both waiting and hospital rooms were modeled as indoor scenarios. A specific Infection-Index (η) parameter was used to estimate the amount of contaminated air inhaled by each person present in the simulated

SUBMITTER: Borro L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7557177 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature