CLEAN AIR FOR CLASS (CA4C)

@CA4Class

CleanAirForClass@gmail.com

We are a group of parents and educators who are urging the Scottish Government to reduce the spread of COVID-19 among children in school by:

• placing a CO2 monitor in every classroom and nursery, recording CO2 levels in a logbook hourly and requiring immediate further mitigating action(s) to be taken where levels rise above 800 ppm
• placing at least one HEPA air filter in every classroom, and in any indoor spaces used for PE, assemblies and/or eating lunch
• changing isolation rules to include classmates of positive cases as close contacts.

WHY WE ARE ASKING FOR CHANGE:

For too long, we have been told that classrooms are safe and that the ventilation provided by simply opening windows and doors is sufficient to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, since the start of the Scottish school term on August 16, 2021, we have seen the numbers of positive cases in classes explode and the hospitalization of under 18s rise to around 70 per week, far exceeding the previous peak of January 2021. The evidence shows that opening windows is not enough.

As of Sunday 12 September, Scotland has the highest case rate of COVID-19 per 100k population IN THE WORLD, at 800 cases per 100k people.

 

ONE CURRENT EXAMPLE:

At the time of writing on 13 September 2021, there have been 9 positive cases in 24 hours in one of our child’s primary classes in Glasgow. All the cases are clustered around the back of the class. The windows were open. We only know about these cases because of parents sharing information. Official Test and Trace procedure does not consider classmates close contacts.

Our Profile Pic is a model of the classroom mentioned above. Red is positive cases confirmed on 12th and 13th (the ones we know about). Green is negative/untested/unknown. Grey is an empty seat.

Amazingly, this classroom provides an extraordinary example of the spread happening even faster in classrooms than in homes. 2 of the red positive cases in the back cluster have twin siblings in the same class. However, their siblings sit in the front and have tested negative.

WHAT WE NEED:

VENTILATION & HEPA AIR PURIFIERS
For ventilation to be an EFFECTIVE mitigation, four to six 'changes of air' are required every hour. HEPA air purifiers work to change the air in classrooms several times each hour, trapping any small particles of COVID-19 in their filters and releasing air that no longer contains these particles. Without HEPA air purifiers, there are few options for teachers when the windows are already open.

CO2 MONITORS
CO2 monitors can alert staff when ventilation is not being effective enough to reduce the risk of COVID-19 particles circulating in the air, should there be infected people in a room. It is not enough to simply have a monitor in each school.

Readings need to be taken hourly, logged in an appropriate logbook, and should CO2 levels rise above 800 ppm, immediate further safety measures, such as turning on another HEPA filter, opening windows wider, or reducing the number of people in the room, must be taken. *To avoid confusion, AIR Purifiers do not remove Co2, only the virus particles contained in the room. Higher Co2 levels means the risk of infection is greater.

EFFECTIVE TRACING OF CONTACTS
Children who have been in contact with a known positive case of COVID-19 (sitting in the same classroom for 15 minutes or more) should be informed and tested

A CONSISTENT APPROACH IN ALL SCHOOLS
While there are some hand held and built in Co2 monitors in schools, there is a lack of coherent and effective procedures for checking, logging, and responding to levels of CO2 that indicate insufficient ventilation.

FOI RESULTS BY LONG COVID KIDS SCOTLAND

In July/August 2021, Long Covid Kids Scotland submitted FOI requests to all 32 Local Authorities in Scotland. Each LA was asked what their ventilation plans were, and how much they had spent on purchasing CO2 monitors. The results showed a staggering disparity. Here are 5 responses for example:

Edinburgh (122 schools) - 250 CO2 monitors to schools & nurseries -£41k spent on CO2 monitors
East Dunbartonshire (43 schools) - 0 CO2 monitors - £0 spent on monitors
Shetland Islands (29 schools) - 382 (in Feb 2021) w/ detailed action plans in place -
£53K spent on CO2 monitors
Glasgow (228 schools) - 4 monitors  purchased  (said there were plans to order more) - 
cost of 4 handheld CO2 monitors not specified but said £15k spent on ventilation improvement
Fife Council (159 schools) - 1500 CO2 monitors sent to schools without built in monitors, trained staff - £34K spent on CO2 monitors

The full results can be seen here: https://twitter.com/LCKScotland/status/1428627471168114690?s=20

EFFECTIVENESS OF MULTIPLE MITIGATIONS:

It is a mistake to consider one particular mitigation alone as a solution to making classrooms safer. It is only when a combination of mitigations is in place that we are fully minimising the risk to our children and educators. This was illustrated with the Swiss Cheese Model by virologist Ian Mackay. We are already without the most effective measures in primary school classrooms by not having masks, vaccination or social distancing. Making the air safer is the very least we can do. This must be combined with better self-isolation rules from the government.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/05/health/coronavirus-swiss-cheese-infection-mackay.html

FURTHER INFORMATION:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/ventilation.html

The CDC supports a COMBINATION of mitigations. This is especially crucial for older schools that have poorer ventilation options.

Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security

https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/our-work/pubs_archive/pubs-pdfs/2021/20210526-school-ventilation.pdf

"Even if ventilation in a school already meets current building standards (many do not), additional air filtration from a portable device can help reduce the potential for SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Portable HEPA air filters are easy to use, HEPA filtration is a proven technology, and the units have the advantage of being always “on.” A quiet unit (or combination of smaller units) can increase the number of air changes by at least 3 to 5 times in an 800-square-foot classroom …. Increasing the number of air changes per hour may substantially reduce aerosol transmission risks."

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):

https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/air-cleaners-hvac-filters-and-coronavirus-covid-19

"Schools should consider using portable air cleaners (air purifiers) to supplement increased HVAC system ventilation and filtration, especially when adequate ventilation is difficult to achieve.

When used along with other best practices recommended by CDC and other public health agencies, air cleaning and filtration can help reduce airborne contaminants, including particles containing viruses.” This includes the potential for airborne transmission of COVID-19 indoors.”

Harvard Health:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/02/26/science/reopen-schools-safety-ventilation.html

A 3D model created with data from a Harvard Health Study in the New York Times. It shows what happens in 3 scenarios within a classroom with one affect student: No Ventilation VS open windows only VS open windows with an air purifiers in the centre if the room.

***Spoiler alert: the air purifier with an open window was by far the most effective solution to reducing the spread.

WHICH HEPA AIR PURIFIER?

You need to get the right air purifier for each room. This is based on the size of the room and the CADR rating for each purifier.  For an average sized classroom that is 55 square metres, a HEPA Air Purifier with a CADR rating of about 400 cubic meter / hour would suffice. These can be purchased for about £150-£250.  Depending on the model, filters need replaced every 6-12 months.

BEYOND COVID:

There are great benefits to air purifiers beyond Covid. Especially in cities like Glasgow, which has some of the worst air quality in Scotland. Asthma is increasing in children as pollution levels are on the rise. Air purifiers make the air safer for kids.

Air purifiers help with:

• other viruses and bacteria
  mold
  dust
  allergens
  pollution 

There are a number of studies that show air purifiers increase academic performance overall even in healthy children, including:

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2020/10/28/the-importance-of-clean-air-in-classrooms-during-the-pandemic-and-beyond/

FAQ/ COMMENTS:

Kids don’t get sick from COVID-19 and all the adults are vaccinated, why are you still going on about this?

A. The UK Government has incorrectly spread the message that the effects from Covid are binary – either you are hospitalised or you’re fine. That’s not true. There are multiple studies that show there can be long term affects in both adults and  children whether they have symptoms or not. https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n2157

Please visit https://www.longcovidkids.org/ for a wealth of information.

In the UK, 34 000 children are currently experiencing persistent symptoms since Covid infection (ONS)

Data available from Long Covid Kids reports:

“Since the term started on the 16h of August, there have been 46,896 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in ages 0-19.

1% will be hospitalised: 468 (CDC & UK data)
14% will develop Long Covid: 6565 (CLoCK Study)
Local Authorities continue to tell parents that schools are not sources of transmission and that the rising case numbers are a result of community transmission.”

(Source: https://www.longcovidkids.org/post/let-s-be-honest-long-covid-kids-in-scotland

For  the latest information and studies,  please follow: @LongCovidKids and @LCKScotland

I’m sick of hearing about this, it is time to get on with life!

A. Yes, we agree!! These measures will allow us to get on with life in a way that doesn’t see a generation of kids affected with long Covid and will keep hospital beds open for other patients who desperately need care.

This will all cost too much, haven’t we spent enough money?

A. Long term investments in cleaner air will save the government money in the long run with fewer illnesses. It allows parents to get back to work knowing our kids are safe.

The virus is already ripping through schools, isn’t it too late?

A. No, there is evidence that repeat infections can not only happen but that second infections can also cause lasting symptoms. Also, it’s important that we make this investment in clean air for many reasons beyond COVID-19, such as to reduce the effects of other viruses, pollution, asthma and allergens.