BMJ Editorial: Why don’t we just open the windows? (26 November 2021)

Summary

The evidence for preventing COVID-19 is lost in translation, writes Dancer et al. in a BMJ Editorial.

The world is finally coming to terms with the realisation that transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is airborne. While keeping your distance, wearing a mask, and getting vaccinated have provided much protection, one intervention that would have a significant impact is adequate indoor ventilation. Healthcare, homes, schools, and workplaces should have been encouraged to improve ventilation at the very beginning of the pandemic, but tardy recognition of the airborne route by leading authorities in 2020 stalled any progress that could have been made at that stage.This was compounded by controversies over the terms “droplet” and “aerosol,” as the definition of these dictates different infection prevention strategies, including type of mask.

Inserting the term “ventilation” into a COVID-19 policy document might appease readers, but ensuring people get enough fresh air in indoor environments seems to have fallen by the wayside. Why is this? Can we establish the reasons for this seemingly lethargic response to improving indoor air quality?