RC study on HVAC airflow re: covid

[smokeybandit]

Some reassuring news for people concerned about spread of covid on a cruise ship

 

https://presscenter.rclcorporate.com/press-release/135/royal-caribbean-group-in-collaboration-with-the-university-of-nebraska-medical-center-and-the-national-strategic-research-institute-release-study-on-cruise-ship-hvac-system/

[LB_NJ]

Will RCL let us bring our own HEPA filter to our cabin?

[bumorgan]

Now I can breathe easier.😄

[AF-1]

So my question is;  this test was performed on Oasis of the Seas which was built in 2009.  Are all the ships being tested for this study?  What about the older ships; will they be retrofitted with the new HVAC systems?  Technology advances quickly;  so older ships like Vision, Adventure, Jewel, etc;  do they have the most up to date HVAC systems;  or will they have them added?  I am glad to see this study;  makes us feel like the air will be circulated and the system will catch the tiny particles

[SmoothFlying]

Boy!! I can hardly wait too see what 'new' rules and roadblocks the 'chicken littles' of the world and the CDC will dream up with next to handicap the cruise industry !🙄-->  CDC spokesperson--'Oh ?? you've fixed this air transmission thingee out ?? Well! How's about... lemme see, (taping chin) 'This problem with folks ACTUALLY breathing on the ship at ALL !' (beaming) 'Let's see you get that problem fixed !' You can bet it'll some kind of 'emergency OR current virus variation right around the bend that they'll come up with should CLIA eve think about starting back up.

 

Mac  

[loman]

A filter upgrade to MERV 13 would not require new air handling equipment .

These filters come in 1 inch or 2 inch thickness so they should fit the filter rack 

in the air handler . A motor upgrade might be the only thing required as the resistance through these filters may increase.

[chengkp75]

Of note is the statement:

 

"Researchers found the transmission of aerosol particles between spaces, through the ventilation system, to be undetectable on surfaces and in the air. A leader in modern cruise ship design, Royal Caribbean Group has long been at the forefront of the industry’s latest innovations and advancements; and so, the existing HVAC systems were created to be robust and efficient in providing maximum ventilation, continual fresh air intake and layers of filtration for both incoming and outgoing air."

 

Emphasis mine.  This is what I have been saying since the start of the pandemic, that there is no data to suggest that the virus is spread through the HVAC system, whether there is recirculation of air or not.  Note that RCI does not say that they are using "100% fresh air", just "continual fresh air", which is the standard on all ships.

 

Their next paragraph states that the measures outlined (high merv or hepa filters) are "additional precautions".

[time4u2go]

2 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Of note is the statement:

 

"Researchers found the transmission of aerosol particles between spaces, through the ventilation system, to be undetectable on surfaces and in the air. A leader in modern cruise ship design, Royal Caribbean Group has long been at the forefront of the industry’s latest innovations and advancements; and so, the existing HVAC systems were created to be robust and efficient in providing maximum ventilation, continual fresh air intake and layers of filtration for both incoming and outgoing air."

 

Emphasis mine.  This is what I have been saying since the start of the pandemic, that there is no data to suggest that the virus is spread through the HVAC system, whether there is recirculation of air or not.  Note that RCI does not say that they are using "100% fresh air", just "continual fresh air", which is the standard on all ships.

 

Their next paragraph states that the measures outlined (high merv or hepa filters) are "additional precautions".

Do you believe RCI's HVAC systems to be better than the other major cruise lines?

[smokeybandit]

40 minutes ago, Heymarco said:

So with the vaccines, this is now a moot point. It would have been helpful prior to.

The study showed covid wouldn't spread via the HVAC anyway. That's the takeaway.

[chengkp75]

23 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

Do you believe RCI's HVAC systems to be better than the other major cruise lines?

Nope.

[CTCruiser76]

Maybe they will replace the filters in the staterooms more frequently now. Our last cruise on the Mariner, I took a peak at the filter behind the metal vent and it was disgustingly dirty. 

We asked the stateroom attendant to have it replaced, but they never did. It appeared like it hadn't been changed in a long period of time. 

[Pandamonia]

Even more interesting is that only 10% of infected people go on to infection someone else IN THEIR OWN HOUSE! They checked 7000 households. Of those 10% they were  nearly always vulnerable people with major health conditions and likely weak immune systems. 

 

Cruises probably could have carried in with younger and healthier guests only. 

[BSocial]

18 minutes ago, Pandamonia said:

Even more interesting is that only 10% of infected people go on to infection someone else IN THEIR OWN HOUSE! They checked 7000 households. Of those 10% they were  nearly always vulnerable people with major health conditions and likely weak immune systems. 

 

Cruises probably could have carried in with younger and healthier guests only. 

Sadly, your fact is little consolation to the families that had multiple extended family members fall ill with CoVid.   Especially if they lost more than one family member to the disease. 
 

How would they explain these clusters within an extended family? 

 

Edited February 27, 2021 by BSocial

[atgood]

1 hour ago, BSocial said:

Sadly, your fact is little consolation to the families that had multiple extended family members fall ill with CoVid.   Especially if they lost more than one family member to the disease. 
 

How would they explain these clusters within an extended family? 

 

The truth is we will never know whether most people died “From” or “With” Covid-19.  As time goes on, we learn more about the proper treatment fortunately. 
 

Most everyone knows people that had it and recovered from it without a hospital visit or meds.  A lot of us know someone who got direly sick and had to be hospitalized, but still recovered.  I know of people who had a close family member get it and they didn’t, but some other members in the same household did. 
 

A lot has been learned in the last year.  The deaths where patients were hooked up to a ventilator with pain meds and left to die alone without any family members around will no longer happen hopefully. 

[Pandamonia]

3 hours ago, BSocial said:

Sadly, your fact is little consolation to the families that had multiple extended family members fall ill with CoVid.   Especially if they lost more than one family member to the disease. 
 

How would they explain these clusters within an extended family? 

 

Family clusters can be easily explained by very unhealthy families or mixing of generations in the same household. 

 

It is not a coincidence that UK and America have some of the worst death rates in the world. Obesity is a major problem in both countries and its a major risk factor no matter your age with Covid. There is also a pattern in a household where the whole family is obese due to poor lifestyles and diet permeating through multiple generations.