Is there risk of virus spreading via central air-conditioning?
Minister holds virtual session with doctors to allay fears started by social media talk
Doctors have said chances of catching coronavirus through air-conditioning ducts is close to zero. Many people in the UAE are worried about transmission through air-conditioning units given increased use in summer, but officials and doctors said the fears are unfounded.
Addressing a virtual conference on Tuesday, Dr Abdullah Mohammad Bel Haif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Infrastructure Development, said: “I noticed some people on a social media group discussing if the virus can transmit through the AC units. I told them it is not accurate and there is no scientific proof of it.”
The minister highlighted in the virtual session with doctors. All of them confirmed that the fears were unfounded.
‘No evidence’
“So far, we have not seen any evidence that Covid-19 can spread through air-conditioning systems,” Dr Adil Sajwani said. “The virus is mainly transmitted through contact with respiratory droplets rather than through the air. If there was a possibility of it being transmitted through AC ducts, all of us would be infected by now.”
Dr Sajwani pointed out that people with minor symptoms have been quarantined in hotels with centralised AC systems, but there has been no record of staff being infected.
Dr Sajwani also referred to a study conducted in China on a cluster of cases originating in one restaurant. “The study was conducted in a restaurant with 91 customers. Only nine people were infected because they were with direct contact with patients and not because the virus spread in the air,” he said.
Expert study
Dr Ahmad Al Addin from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and AirConditioning Engineers, said that a committee of experts concluded from research that the virus couldn’t be transmitted through air-conditioning.
“There is no scientific proof that you can transmit Covid-19 through AC ducts,” he said. “As a precaution, people should clean filters and use multimedia filters [which utilise three or more layers of gravel rather than just sand] as well as keep the temperature between 20 to 25 degrees Celsius.”
The minister said that Covid-19 will impact future building design in terms of the number of people living in close proximity.