Indoor Air Quality Monitoring Systems and COVID-19

Saini, Jagriti; Dutta, Maitreyee; Marques, Gonçalo

Coronavirus pandemic is proven as wreaking havoc with the rising number of cases since its first identification in Wuhan, China. This invisible threat has taken approximately 1.06 M lives with more than 36.5 M cases worldwide as on October 9th, 2020. World Health Organization (WHO) estimated the mortality rate for COVID-19 to be around 3–4% with higher risk to the people that have underlying medical conditions such as respiratory disease, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, asthma, and kidney disease. Numerous public health experts have defined a clear link between coronavirus death rates and long-term exposure to air pollution, especially PM(2.5) and NO(2) levels. Medical health experts are working hard to find a reliable treatment for COVID-19. The need for real-time monitoring systems to promote indoor air quality is another critical concern that demands the attention of the research community. The main contribution of this study is to present the connection between COVID-19 pandemic, public health and indoor air quality while addressing the importance of real-time monitoring systems for public health and wellness. This chapter presents the necessity of developing indoor air quality monitoring systems for hospitals, schools, offices and homes for enhanced health and well-being.