With extensive research on the relationship between the air we breathe and COVID-19 transmission, the indoor air quality experts at qlair have adapted their AI-powered monitoring solutions to track prequalifying conditions for COVID-19 airborne transmission—resulting in the patent pending COVID-19 Airborne Infection Risk Score (CAIRS).
Several known air quality parameters have been linked to the airborne transmission of COVID-19—particulate matter (fine dust particles suspended in the air), carbon dioxide (CO2), and relative humidity (RH). By implementing new logic within qlair’s algorithm, the critical thresholds of these parameters are now being monitored closely to assess airborne risk.
“Let’s face it, indoor spaces are at the highest risk of a COVID-19 outbreak. We have clear evidence, and now is the time to act. Our team is using different risk indicators for virus concentration and transmission to create one easy-to-understand assessment. Today, various monitoring devices allow buildings to gather data on just about everything, but we have come to realize that this can overwhelm clients in their day-to-day. One of our primary goals at qlair is to make sense of these data, and by doing so, provide building management with clear steps forward,” said Marcel Schoch, CTO, qlair
Amid COVID-19, the topic of clean air has reached new heights. Research shows that aerosol and droplet infections are suspected to cause a majority of all COVID-19 infections. At qlair, the development team has turned data from the indoor air into a simple risk assessment for facility management to track progress. The thresholds of the score are based on official recommendations from ASHRAE and the CDC and are backed by scientific evidence from COVID-19 outbreaks.
“Employers will feel the effect of COVID-19 long after it is gone, as new guidelines for building health and safety are put into place. Facilities executives and managers are tasked with developing a plan that ensures health and safety guidelines are met with diligence after reopening. Our goal at qlair is to make the process of achieving these standards as efficient as possible for the building owners and managers, without significantly increasing costs,” said Ellie Amrinasr, PhD, CEO, qlair.
qlair plans to implement new thresholds in the future that track precursors for most major diseases. Until then, the team plans to continue helping buildings plan for a safe reopening that can be maintained for years to come. Business owners, school campuses, healthcare facilities, and more can benefit from taking control of their indoor air quality.
Click here for more facility management news related to safety.
