Operation of air-conditioning and sanitary equipment for SARS-CoV-2 infectious disease control

Abstract

It is still undetermined if the main infection route of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that leads to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is infection through droplet, contact, or airborne transmission. However, confined spaces with poor ventilation are cited as a risk factor for group outbreaks, and there is growing interest in the effects of intervention through the appropriate operation of air-conditioning and sanitary equipment to reduce the risk of airborne transmission. This study first offers an outline of the characteristics of the novel coronavirus disease and the cluster outbreak case reports that have been clarified until now. Subsequently, we describe the appropriate operating conditions for building equipment that are effective in reducing the risk of infection and also highlight specificities for each building use based on the guidance provided by healthcare institutions and with reference to the standard recommendations by Western academic societies related to building equipment.