The role of air conditioning in the diffusion of Sars-CoV-2 in indoor environments: A first computational fluid dynamic model, based on investigations performed at the Vatican State Children's hospital

Background: About 15 million people worldwide were affected by the Sars-Cov-2 infection, which already caused 600,000 deaths. This virus is mainly transmitted through exhalations from the airways of infected persons, so that Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems might play a role in spreading the infection in indoor environments. Methods: We modelled the role of HVAC systems in the diffusion of the contagion through a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of cough at the Vatican State childrens hospital Bambino Gesu. Both waiting rooms and hospital rooms were modeled as indoor scenarios. A specific Infection-Index parameter was used to estimate the amount of contaminated air inhaled by each person present in the simulated indoor scenarios. The potential role of exhaust air ventilation systems placed above the coughing patients mouth was also assessed. Results: Our CFD-based simulations show that HVAC air-flow remarkably enhance infected droplets diffusion in the whole indoor environment within 25 seconds from the cough event, despite the observed dilution of saliva particles containing the virus. In the waiting room simulation, Infection-Index parameter increases the faster the higher the HVAC airflow. Greater flows of air conditioning correspond to greater diffusion of the infected droplets. The proper use of Local Exhaust Ventilation systems (LEV) simulated in the hospital room was associated to a complete reduction of infected droplets spreading from the patient s mouth in the first 0.5 seconds following the cough event. In the hospital room, the use of LEV system completely reduced the index computed for the patient hospitalized at the bed next to the spreader, with a decreased possibility of contagion. Conclusions: CFD-based simulations for indoor environment can be useful to optimize air conditioning flow and to predict the contagion risk both in hospitals/ambulatories and in other public/private settings.