Wear a mask. Practice social distancing. Get vaccinated. At this point, we’ve come to accept these recommendations as pandemic gospel. Follow them, and we’ll free ourselves from COVID’s hellacious grip. But what if we could curb transmission at a more systemic level, beyond individual actions? Research points to a solution that’s been in front of us all along: fresh air. Some scientists believe that regulating the airflow through our buildings could play a major role in helping us get a handle on the pandemic.
First, though, a refresher on how COVID spreads: Back in the early days of the panny, the CDC stated that exposure to large droplets from talking, sneezing, and coughing was the main source of transmission, explains John Zhai, a professor of building systems engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. These larger droplets quickly fall onto surfaces, which is why the agency recommended mask wearing and the six-foot social distancing rule.
