This is a rapid systematic review which aims to answer the question: is equivalent ventilation, which is provided by air cleaning/purifier technologies, effective in preventing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the healthcare setting? The review is informed by an acknowledgement of the healthcare setting as a high transmission-risk environment. It seeks to provide best evidence for technologies which can purify indoor air within the health facility with a view to protect the health worker and the healthcare seeker.

 

The interventions under review are air cleaning/purifying methods including HEPA filters, ultra-violet(UV) irradiation, and aqueous or gaseous ozone fogging. The comparator is mechanical or natural ventilation which meets acceptable indoor air quality standards. The primary outcome is the change in the incidence of COVID-19 transmission, while the secondary outcome is the effectiveness of indoor air cleaning.

 

Enembe Okokon is a Nigerian physician who graduated in 1999 from the University of Calabar. He completed residency in Community Medicine in 2008. He did Master's degree in General Toxicology and Environmental Health Risk Assessment in the University of Eastern Finland (UEF). He also has a PhD in Environmental Physics, Health, and Biology from the UEF.

 

Enembe has participated in national and international research projects through his affiliation with Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. His work has focused on themes of air pollution and noise epidemiology and exposure assessments. He has investigated risk relationships between traffic related noise and air pollution and clinical endpoints such as insomnia, anxiety, depression, respiratory disease and cardiovascular disease. His current work pertains to health risks imposed by climate change on urban populations. His interests include statistical modelling, data mining, and basic and advanced research synthesis.