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MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) issued new guidelines on good ventilation and adequate air circulation in enclosed spaces on Monday amid the continuing threat of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Undersecretary of Health, María Rosario Vergeire, said that with the updated guidelines, the public can implement administrative and engineering controls that would minimize the risk of one becoming infected if experts definitively determine that the new coronavirus can be transmitted through the air.
“While there is still conclusive evidence of airborne transmission, [the] DOH already recommends that we ensure that there is adequate ventilation in enclosed spaces, such as workplaces, bathrooms and vehicles, ”Vergeire said.
Under Departmental Memorandum No. 2020-0429, signed by the Secretary of Health Francisco Duque III on Thursday of last week, the activities are
recommended to be held in outdoor spaces. If this cannot be done, “opening windows and doors should be implemented to facilitate the flow of outside air into the space.”
Vergeire said the public should avoid sitting directly in the airflow from electric fans and air conditioners, especially in hot weather.
Exhaust fans, car vents
“Electric fans and air conditioning units can facilitate the transmission of the virus by directing the air from infected people to other people in the room,” the memo said.
For public toilets, Vergeire said exhaust fans should be installed and kept open continuously as much as possible.
Cars, particularly those used for public transport, should “avoid using the recirculated air option.”
“Use the car vents to bring in fresh air from outside and / or roll down the vehicle windows,” DOH said.
‘Special circumstances’
Vergeire said the guidelines can be adjusted based on the needs of the area and in consultation with heating and ventilation experts.
The DOH guidelines came a week after the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that airborne transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, “can occur in special circumstances ”.
These include enclosed spaces where an infected person has been or where susceptible people have gone after the infected person has left and areas with inadequate ventilation that allow the accumulation of small droplets and airborne respiratory particles.
Still, the CDC said that based on available data, the new coronavirus is transmitted primarily through respiratory droplets, as if it were primarily airborne, “experts would expect to have observed a considerably faster global spread of the infection. early 2020 and higher percentages of previous infection. measured by serological surveys “.
Virus case update
On Monday, DOH registered 3,564 additional new cases, bringing the national total to 342,816. Of the newly infected, 3,197 became ill between September 29 and October 12, while 304 became ill between September 1 and 28.
Metro Manila still has the highest number of new cases, 1,344, followed by Cavite (215), Laguna (212), Rizal (211) and Iloilo (164).
There are now a total of 293,152 COVID-19 survivors with the recovery of 150 more patients. However, the death toll rose to 6,332 when 11 patients succumbed to the severe respiratory illness.
Of the recently reported deaths, eight died this month, two in August and one in July. Four of the fatalities were from Davao, three from Calabarzon, two from Ilocos and one from northern Mindanao and one from Caraga.
Recoveries and deaths left the country with 43,332 active cases, of which 83.9 percent are mild, 10.8 percent asymptomatic, 1.7 percent severe, and 3.6 percent critical.
The DOH said the country’s 10.03 percent positivity rate still “needs improvement,” as it was still double the World Health Organization’s reference of less than 5 percent.
As of noon Monday, the 145 accredited laboratories had screened a total of 3,914,643 patients for COVID-19.
For more news on the new coronavirus, click here.
What you need to know about the coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
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