By Vikas Sethi With the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) there is a lot of misinformation being spread throughout our communities. The Air Hawk team values our customers and we want to do our part to help you identify facts versus fears.
What is COVID-19?
Fear: COVID-19 is a man made disease created to boost vaccine sales and control the population.
Fact: COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that spreads person to person. It was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Similar to the SARS outbreak, which is also a coronavirus, COVID-19 was passed to humans from animals. As this strand of the virus is new, world health leaders are carefully monitoring it as it can cause severe symptoms in some people.
How does it spread?
Fear: The virus is airborne and is circulating through ventilation systems. To protect yourself in public, you need to wear a mask.
Fact: Primarily, COVID-19 is spread person to person via respiratory droplets. That means that when someone sneezes or coughs, the drops of moisture that enter the environment could be inhaled by others nearby if they’re within six feet of the infected person—which is why we’re practicing social distancing.
Since COVID-19 can live on surfaces for several days, it is also possible for it to spread when people touch contaminated surfaces and then touch their mouths, noses, or eyes.
Masks should be worn if you are sick or if you are caring for someone who is sick. Beyond that, the CDC doesn’t recommend wearing masks to protect against COVID-19. The best line of defense is to practice good hygiene which includes regularly washing your hands and coughing into your elbow rather than your hands.
What are the symptoms?
Fear: One of the symptoms of COVID-19 is spitting up blood.
Fact: According to the CDC, the symptoms, which typically appear within two to 14 days of exposure, include fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath. Other less common symptoms include diarrhea, headache, runny nose, and a soar throat. For a complete outlying of the symptoms, visit the CDC website.
How does it affect indoor air quality?
Fear: The coronavirus can be easily spread through your home’s duct system.
Fact: As mentioned above, COVID-19 is spread through respiratory droplets. When a person coughs or sneezes, those droplets fall onto nearby surfaces. While the droplets can remain in the air for a few hours, contact with the contaminated surfaces is more often how people encounter the virus.
Many states have mandated that residents remain at home. With the increased amount of time spent in the home, it is crucial that you do everything to maintain your indoor air quality. As you know, your HVAC system plays a key role in your home’s indoor air quality. The Air Hawk team always recommends regularly changing your air filters and maintaining annual maintenance.
While it is very important that you keep up with your HVAC maintenance, it is important to note that the coronavirus can live on surfaces for several days. The best way to prevent the spread of the virus is to wash your hands thoroughly and often. The WHO breaks down best practices as well as debunks some myths about COVID-19.
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