10:55 am - 11:25 am

A Public Health approach to assessing ventilation and filtration to mitigate the risk of aerosol transmission of COVID-19

In the spring of 2021 as new research about the role of aerosol transmission of COVID-19 came to light and with the unwavering support of our Medical Officer of Health we began examining ways to assess ventilation and filtration within specified settings of concern such as long term care, retirement homes, shelters, child care settings and schools in Niagara Region. This presentation will outline our ventilation assessment initiative including the use of CO2 sensors to assess and educate on potential improvements to reduce the risk of aerosol based transmission of COVID-19 within the aforementioned settings.

The following areas will be included:

• Brief overview of the role of ventilation and filtration
• Review of the contents of the ventilation assessment including the process involved
• Resource development in support of this initiative
• Public Health Inspector training and support
• Summary of findings/results to date
• Examples of local success stories
• Next steps