CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As many people start to welcome visitors back into their homes thanks to the COVID-19 vaccine, the goal is still to remain free of the virus.
Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shared some tips many folks hadn't considered in the fight to slow the spread of COVID-19 indoors.
THE QUESTION
Does increased ventilation help to prevent the spread of COVID-19?
THE ANSWER
Yes, better ventilation will help reduce the spread of COVID-19; however, the best practices for limiting the spread of the virus are face masks, good personal hygiene and social distancing.
SOURCES
- The CDC
- North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
- Dr. Karla Robinson with Urban Housecall
The CDC says: "If a visitor needs to be in your home, improving ventilation (air flow) can help prevent virus particles from accumulating in the air in your home. Good ventilation, along with other preventive actions, like staying six feet apart and wearing masks, can help prevent you from getting and spreading COVID-19." They shared this image to show what doing the following tips would look like for betting air flow indoors.
The CDC also recommends the following to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 while indoors:
- Opening a window
- Circulating air through your HVAC system with a high-quality filter
- Using a ceiling fan or box fan
- Using your kitchen or bathroom exhaust fans
- Limiting the number of people inside your home
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is our second source. In a press release, they state a similar message that the CDC does.
Consider the following ways to improve your home's ventilation:
WCNC Charlotte also took this question to a local general medicine doctor, Dr. Karla Robinson with Urban Housecall.
Dr. Robinson agrees, we do have an opportunity to better mitigate the risk of being exposed.
“We're not really suggesting people go do a major overhaul of the HVAC systems, but there are some simple things that we can be mindful of," Robinson said. "Opening doors and windows will introduce outside air in, that can really help to decrease the number of virus particles that are in the air."
So we can verify: Yes! All of our sources confirm that increasing the ventilation inside your home will help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
However, all sources agree that these strategies are not to be a substitute for wearing face masks with visitors, good hand hygiene and social distancing.