Looking forward to Apr 12 @ashraenews webinar with @WBahnfleth & moderator @healthyheating. We know that #COVIDisAirborne, and BC schools (all buildings really) can do more to keep us safe. Ask your district to register facilities, OH&S, legal, HR & other staff! #bced#bcpoli
I'll look at BC Legislature, BC CDC, Vancouver Coastal Health, UBC, and Vancouver & Surrey School Districts.
Let's investigate!
How will BC measure up wrt understanding and implementing @ashraenews COVID guidance?
BC Legislature: "The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads in several ways, but most commonly through airborne transmission" Wow! It says airborne. Measures are poor.
Ok, what about the BC CDC (Centre for Data Control? Disease Collaboration? We aren't sure.)
Ok. Weird. #COVIDisAirborne inside parliament buildings but not anywhere else? I guess that makes sense, since school buildings block COVID all together?
Vancouver Coastal Health has crappy advice for the public, though:
All right, searching Vancouver Coastal Health for ASHRAE only brings up one document, unrelated to COVID: vch.ca/Documents/VCH-…
Searching for Ventilation? Back to the useless blurb above, ventilation as in life support. Nothing useful that I can find.
Taking break to spend time with family. Fellow citizen detectives, if look up how COVID is transmitted and how it's prevented for other BC organizations, school districts, etc, dump it here and I will link back to the thread later!
Ok, back BC's COVID-19 safety esp wrt to aerosol mitigation. Now, to Vancouver School Board.
VSB has made efforts. Parents have expressed frustration, tho, that there are no performance targets / knowledge. Do you see ASHRAE refs?🧐
VSB links to VCH doc with unfortunate misinformation about role of portable air cleaners, and a lack of understanding of the technical analysis required to evaluate their role, sizing, etc. Anyone see ASHRAE ref'd?
What about Surrey, the other large school district in BC? COVID is over in Surrey 🥳🥳🥳. Looks like I'm gonna have to dig a bit to find their Communicable Disease Plan.
1/ The BC Provincial Accessibility Committee is holding online engagement sessions (links in🧵).
Immunocompromised BCians STILL face barriers to safe access to public spaces inc schools & hospitals. People with #autism #ADHD #cancer #heartdisease & more are less safe, too!
2/ #COVIDisAirborne and #CovidIsNotOver, clearly, as seen by wastewater data & constantly overwhelmed healthcare.
3/ Demand SAFE, accessible indoor spaces for ALL British Columbians, but ESPECIALLY people with disabilities, whether visible or not.
Demand indoor air that transparently meets @ashraenews Standard 241. Demand CAN95 or better respirator masks.
"Finally, as the pandemic has progressed, there have been an increasing number of high profile publications suggesting that aerosol transmission of COVID-19 is plausible."
Translation: Actual aerosol experts keep telling us #COVIDisAirborne, and we keep ignoring them.
3/ (er, 1 & 2 not numbered)
"Aerosol science is beyond the purview of the infectious disease community."
3/“I write to you, GOARN experts & key tech'l experts team for epidemic response, to appeal for getting consensus & taking action to combat & contain COVID-19 right away, b/c there will be no more time for further arguing & discussion on how we should deal with this global threat