Air Management Strategies

ContaminatedSpace

Indoor Space

SpeaksBreathes
CoughsIf SomeoneSneezes

Without a Mask

Mitigation Strategies
OMSs should create and implement an air management plan utilizing a layered
application of technology and behavior to minimize the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
Each OMS and facility may have a different combination and method to reach this goal.
One prescriptive method does not exist, so no single strategy can be recommended.

HVAC Systems

Portable HEPA Filtration Units

Concerns/Considerations• Isolate contaminated from non-contaminated/clean

Concerns/Considerations• No direct research exists to verify if a HEPA air purifier
reduces the transmission of COVID-19.

air spaces.
• Maintain air flow from clean to contaminated areas.

• SARS-CoV-2 is generally carried in respiratory droplets,• Increase outdoor air into the building.

which are much larger than other particles known to• Ventilate interior air outdoors.

be captured by HEPA filters.

• Decontaminate air that cannot be ventilated to• Use as an adjunct to the HVAC system to expedite
room air exchange.

the outdoors.

Usage

Usage
Humidity – Keep between 40-60 percent; lower

Place portable units during and immediately

humidity may favor SARS-CoV-2 viability.

following an aerosol-generating procedure.

Filtration – Use the highest filter value possible

Place so surgical personnel are not between thefor system.

patient and the HEPA filtration unit, which would

Outdoor air – Increase amount of outdoor air

direct patient spatter and aerosols toward them.

circulated in building.
Thermostats – Reprogram to avoid system 		
shutting off during occupied hours.
Exhaust fans – Leave on when feasible, especially

Air Scrubbing/Decontamination

in bathrooms.

Concerns/Considerations• Though the absolute benefit of air scrubbing for 		decreasing SARS-CoV-2 transmission in an OMS

Ultraviolet (UV) Light

office is unclear, it may still be beneficial to improve

Concerns/Considerations• Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) has the potentialof contaminants.

to cause human health diseases, including skin cancer
and eye disease.
• UVGI cannot be used in an occupied space, except
when installed in an upper-room fashion.

the general air quality and reduce the recirculation• The ions created through air scrubbing are dispersed
throughout all the air in the workspace, extending toareas where UVGI or even some fogged disinfectants
may not reach.
Usage

Usage
Suspend UVGI lamps from ceilings or upper portionof walls; shield base of lamp to direct radiation

Wet scrubbing uses a damp or wet medium to filter
particles and contaminants out of the air.
Dry scrubbing utilizes the properties of positive

upward and outward.
Consider UV technology installation in HVAC ducts.

and/or negatively charted ions to destroy certain
molecules, disrupt the vitality of airborne organisms

Consider Far UVC, which can inactivate virus

and viruses, and cause airborne particles to 		without human health risks in occupied spaces.

aggregate, fall and/or be caught in filters.

Review the full White Paper on Air Management
Strategies for more information.

C O V I D - 1 9U P D A T E SAAOMS.org