Has the HVAC System in Hospitals Been Adjusted for the COVID-19 Influx?

Aug 28

While the first wave of COVID-19 is not yet ended in some US states (Figure below), there is possibility of a second wave considering the upcoming flu season, as the weather gets colder. However, hospitals have a limited number of Airborne Infectious Isolation (A.I.I) rooms with negative pressure for COVID-19 patients and in the fast-growing pandemic, they had to come up with a strategy to safely increase their capacity. As a result, some hospitals have started to designate parts of their Intensive Care Unit (I.C.U) rooms to COVID-19 patients although not all ICU rooms were negatively pressurized.

In an interesting presentation by ASHRAE COVID-19 Guideline, it is proposed that ICU rooms be tested, reviewed, and verified for negative pressure before designation for COVID-19 (1). It is also suggested to provide a HEPA filter at each return, reduce the airflow on the supply side, and increase the exhaust to create negative pressure in each patient room (1).

Without doubt there has not been a chance for testing each single ICU room in the hospitals, large and small, everywhere in the world due to the fast-growing number of patients and lack of testing equipment particularly in the developing countries and areas with poor healthcare. Hopefully, hospitals could get prepared for the flu season and make the required adjustments by using the new guidelines and their previous experience.