Mitigating COVID-19 Risk Through Architectural Design Strategies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56180/jes.vol1.iss1.8Keywords:
Architectural design, Corona-virus disease, Infection control, WHO-COVID-19 protocolAbstract
The outbreak and rapid spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has continued to pose health and economic challenges to the whole world. The possibility of getting over this pandemic by the eradication of the virus or finding a cure to the disease remains uncertain. The only public health response to the pandemic thus remains curtailing its transmission by eliminating or reducing the risk of infection. To date, there are three main factors that increase the risk of infection, namely: closed spaces without ventilation; spaces that encourage dense gatherings and the environments that foster close physical connections. All these occur mainly in buildings. The layout and design of buildings therefore plays a critical role in reducing the risk of infection is therefore critical. This paper, guided by hierarchy of infection control model and the World Health Organisation (WHO) COVID-19 protocols, proposed a prescriptive model for controlling the spread of the disease through architectural design strategies.
References
World Health Organisation (WHO), COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update, Geneva: WHO, 29 June, 2021.
H. Inegbedion, “Impact of COVID-19 on Economic Growth in Nigeria: Opinions and Attitudes”, Heliyon, 7, 2021.
P.K. Ozili, “COVID-19 Pandemic and Economic Crisis: The Nigerian Experience and Structural Causes”, SSR Electronic Journal, 2020.
K. Andam, H. Edeh, V. Oboh, K. Pau, J. Thurlow, “Impacts of COVID-19 on Food Systems and Poverty in Nigera”, Advances in Food Security and Sustainability, 5, 2020, pp. 144-178.
TheCable, “COVID Third Wave Infections Spreading Faster Than Ever in Africa, Says WHO”, TheCable, July 1, 2021.
World Health Organisation, Roadmap to Improve and Ensure Good Ventilation in the Context of COVID-19, Geneva: World Health Organisation, March 2021.
United States Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor Air and Coronavirus (COVID-19), New York: USEPA, 2021.
J.A. Garofalo, How Can Architecture Make Communities and Urban Environments Resilient to Disease? Master of Arts Thesis, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, 2020.
World Health Organisation (WHO), Transmission of SARS-Cov-2: Implications for Infection Prevention Precautions, Geneva: WHO, July, 2020.
S. Karimzadeh, R. Bhopal, H.N. Tien, “Review of Infective Dose, Routes of Transmission and Outcome of COVID-19 Caused by the SARS-Cov-2: Comparison with Other Respiratory Viruses”, Epidemiology and Infection, 149.
L.R. Guiseppia, D.L. Simonetta, L. Marcelo, M. Michelo, “Viral Infection Acquired by Indoors through Airborne, Droplet or Contact Transmission”, Annali del Istituto Superiore di Sanita, 2013, 49(2), 124-132.
U. Emmanuel, E.D. Osondu, K.C. Kalu, “Architectural Design Strategies for Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) in Healthcare Facilities: Towards Curbing the Spread of COVID-19”, Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering, 2020, 18, 1669-1707.
R. Prakash, U.K. Digumarti, “An Emphasis on Engineering Controls in the Prevention and Control of COVID-19: Thinking beyond Tomorrow”, Journal of Indian Orthodontic Society, 2021, 55(2), 190-201.
United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Ventilations in Buildings, New York: CDC, 2 June 2021.
A.A. Alibadadi, S.N. Rogak, K.H. Barlett, S.I. Green, “Preventing Airborne Disease Transmission: Review of Methods for Ventilation Design in Healthcare Facilities”, Advances in Preventive Medicine, 2011, 1-22.
S.A. Lone, A. Ahmad, COVID-19 Pandemic – An African Perspective”, Emerging Microbes and Infections, 2020, 9, 1300-1309.
I.A. Moosa, “The Effectiveness of Social Distancing in Containing COVID-19”, Applied Economics, 2020, 52(58), 6292-6305.
E.U. Lawani-Luwaji, P.F.T. Victor, D.B. Esene, “Knowledge and Adherence to Social Distancing Guidelines in Nigeria during the COVID-19 Pandemic”, Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology, 2021, 13(2), 74-79.
T. Zhao, K.Xuan, C. Sun, “The Importance of Social Distancing Policy”, Journal of Public Health, 2020, 43(2), e269.
M. Qian, J. Jiang, “COVID-19 and Social Distancing”, Journal of Public Health: From Theory to Practice, 2020.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Journal for Environmental SciencesThe Journal is licensed to the Center of Research, Innovation and Development (CRID) of the Federal Polytechnic Ado-Ekiti.
