Taiwanese medical researchers have linked air quality in kindergarten classrooms to increased risk of COVID-19 cluster infections, a research paper published in the journal Indoor Air showed.
The study is based on observed air quality in a Taipei-based kindergarten and viral transmission estimations utilizing the Wells-Riley model from August to November 2021, National Taiwan University Hospital researchers told a news conference earlier this month marking the article’s publication.
The research team found that carbon dioxide in classrooms and staff offices increases with use during the workweek, peaking each day in the afternoon, said coauthor Chen Chung-yen (陳宗延), an epidemiologist at the hospital.
Photo: CNA
The concentration of the substance — a counter indicator of air quality — reaches 850 parts per million in an average hour, assuming that 30 students are in a room, he said.
Carbon dioxide measurements are used as a proxy for aerosol concentrations as ventilation has about the same effect on both values, he added.
The air quality measurements indicated that the reproduction number of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, ranged from 3.01 to 3.12 during school hours, meaning an infected person would on average spread the virus to three people, Chen said.
The study suggests that reducing class sizes and the time spent indoors, and improving ventilation would decrease cluster infections, he said, adding that the air in a 33-ping room (109m2) containing 30 children should be changed 3.6 to 5.4 times per hour.
Ideally, a class should have two to 10 people spending no more than three hours in each room, but such conditions are unlikely to be met under real-world conditions, he said.
The research team recommends that kindergartens utilize air quality monitors, open-air classes and high-efficiency particulate air filters for poorly ventilated rooms to protect public health, he said.
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