COVID-19 transmission in schools: Experts call for better ventilation, monitoring – CTV
March 28, 2022
An Italian-based study published last week revealed the significant impact that effective ventilation systems in schools can have on limiting the transmission of COVID-19.
The experiment, conducted by the Hume foundation think-tank, observed the spread of COVID-19 in 10,441 classrooms across the Marche region of Italy between September 2021 and January of this year. Results showed that the number of COVID-19 infections reported in 316 classrooms with mechanical ventilation systems was significantly lower than the number reported among classrooms without these systems.
Devices that replaced the air in a classroom 2.4 times per hour reduced the number of infections by 40 per cent, according to the study. Additionally, four air replacements per hour brought down infections by 66.8 per cent, and six air replacements per hour reduced this number by 82.5 per cent.
