The First Four Healthy Building Strategies - The Lancet COVID-19 Commission

Full Article Title:

The First Four Health Building Strategies Every Building Should Pursue to Reduce Risk from COVID-19

July 2022 - The Lancet COVID-19 Commission Task Force on Safe Work, Safe School, and Safe Travel

“Understanding of the most probable transmission routes and identifying the risk environment for disease spread should always be among the first critical steps in the response to future disease threats.”…

“Laboratory, field, modeling, and case studies have demonstrated that airborne transmission via inhalation of virus-laden aerosols is important, if not dominant, for COVID-19”…

“To combat the risk of airborne transmission of COVID-19, control strategies that reduce the concentration of (and therefore, the likelihood of inhaling) potentially infectious respiratory aerosols must be implemented. Increased outdoor air ventilation to dilute aerosols and reduce their concentration and/or enhanced filtration efficiency to remove particles from recirculated air have been shown to be effective as part of an overall strategy to reduce risk. These strategies should be prioritized in occupied environments in which aerosols accumulate most rapidly: indoor spaces with low outdoor air ventilation and/or low levels of (or no) filtration.”…