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Review
. 2023 Aug 15:73:106737.
doi: 10.1016/j.jobe.2023.106737. Epub 2023 May 8.

An overview of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and engineering strategies to mitigate risk

Bey Fen Leo  1 , Chin Yik Lin  2 , Kalaimani Markandan  3 , Lip Huat Saw  4 , Mohd Shahrul Mohd Nadzir  5 , Kayatri Govindaraju  6 , Ina Ismiarti Shariffuddin  7 , Revathy Sankara  8 , Yong Wei Tiong  9 , Harshini Pakalapati  10 , Mohammad Khalid  11   12   13
Affiliations
Review

An overview of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and engineering strategies to mitigate risk

Bey Fen Leo et al. J Build Eng. .

Abstract

The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected every aspect of our lives. To date, experts have acknowledged that airborne transmission is a key piece of the SARS-CoV-2 puzzle. Nevertheless, the exact mechanism of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 remains unclear. Recent works have shown the spreading of SARS-CoV-2 through numerical modeling and experimental works, but the successful applications of engineering approaches in reducing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 are lacking. In this review, the environmental factors that influence the transmission risk of SARS-CoV-2, such as ventilation flow rates, humidity, and temperature, are discussed. Besides, additional macro and micro weather factors, regional and global transmission, and the variants of the spread of SARS-CoV-2 are also reviewed. Engineering approaches that practically reduce the risks of SARS-CoV-2 transmissions are reported. Given the complex human behavior, environmental properties, and dynamic nature of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, it is reasonable to summarize that SARS-CoV-2 may not be eradicated even with the timely implementation of interventions. Therefore, more research exploring the potential cost-effective ways to control the transmission rate of SARS-CoV-2 may be a worthwhile pursuit to moderate the current crisis.

Keywords: Aerosol; Environmental factors; SARS-CoV-2; Technology; Ventilation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
(a) Larger respiratory droplets deposit on a surface nearer to the source (droplet transmission), while smaller aerosols can travel long distances indoor (airborne transmission). (b) Schematic diagram illustrating factors affecting indoor airborne transmission [11,12].
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Long-range and short-range transmission is determined by the distance of virus laden aerosols travel from the source.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The use of CFD simulation to predict the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a pediatric ward.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Schematic illustration of traditional mixing ventilation and displacement ventilation.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Upper-room UVGI installed in an office in Malaysia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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