Post by Nadica (She/Her) on Jun 11, 2024 6:34:43 GMT
Contextualizing the risks of indirect COVID-19 transmission in multi-unit residential buildings - Published Mar 24, 2021
Introduction
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) have been of particular concern to both public health practitioners and MURB occupants. MURBs are distinct from other settings in that occupants have their own bathroom and kitchen and (theoretically) can limit their interactions more effectively than in other congregate living situations (dormitories, shelters, camps, etc). However, some interaction in common areas such as the elevators, stairways, and laundry rooms are difficult to avoid. Accordingly, homeowners’ associations and property managers have adapted public health guidance to MURBs. Examples include enhanced cleaning and disinfection of high-touch surfaces, limiting the number of people in the elevators and laundry rooms, and closing amenities like recreation rooms,1 as well as implementing mask mandates and imposing limits on private gatherings as ordered by provincial governments.
To date, these measures appear to have been largely effective in preventing MURB outbreaks, in that public health has not encountered issues in this setting to the same degree as in congregate living or long-term care facilities. Transmission via close contact, most often between members of the same household, remains the most common means through which COVID-19 is spread.2 However, over time, there have been a number of reports in the media and academic literature of MURB outbreaks in which transmission may have occurred without close contact, suggesting a potential indirect or environmental route of transmission.
The objective of this review was to scan the literature for MURB outbreaks that may have involved indirect or environmental transmission, and to examine how transmission routes were investigated and what was found. This document is intended to help public health practitioners: 1) improve their understanding of how building systems may (or may not) contribute to transmission of SARS-CoV-2; 2) learn about the environmental or other analyses to complement a thorough epidemiological investigation if indirect transmission is suspected; and 3) communicate effectively about the relative risks of indirect transmission in a MURB setting.
Keywords: Indoor Air, Clean Air, Transmission, Expert Advice, Policy