Workplaces at Risk of Covid-19 Transmission

A number of offices in Jakarta have generated new clusters of Covid-19 transmission. Offices with closed airflow management and ventilation systems are at high risk of to spreading the disease caused by the coronavirus.

KOMPAS/ADITYA DIVERANTA

A number of workers on Jalan Haji Agus Salim, Central Jakarta, left the office during lunch break on Wednesday (22/7/2020). During the Covid-19 Pandemic, some of them were nervous about the emergence of a contagion cluster in the office area.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – A number of offices in Jakarta have generated new clusters of Covid-19 transmission. Offices with closed airflow management and ventilation systems are at high risk of to spreading the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Strict health protocols such as physical distancing should be implemented to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission.

"If we are in a confined space with a Covid-19 carrier for a long time, the possibility of infection is high. This makes the [entire] building at risk of transmission," David Handojo Muljono, the deputy head of translational research at the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, said in Jakarta on Thursday.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is transmitted not only by respiratory droplets that fall and stick to a surface, but can also be airborne, or transmitted through the air. So preventive efforts such as hand washing and maintaining a minimum distance of 2 meters are not enough to reduce the risk of transmitting the disease.

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According to David, there is increasing evidence that the virus can spread through the air in microdroplets, particles less than 5 microns that are smaller than an electrical spark. Therefore, people must wear a mask when they are in a closed room with several people.

"If someone smokes [a cigarette] around us and we smell it, the virus can remain suspended in the air for about eight hours, and then it settles. So, not only when coughing or sneezing, [but] the virus can also spread when we breathe normally. My advice is to wear a mask while you are at the office,” he said.

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KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

A One-Stop Integrated Services clerk (right) serves a customer seeking to obtain a business license on Thursday (23/7/2020) at the offices of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) in Jakarta.

Air circulation

In addition, the circulation of air in the room must also be regulated properly. "If you use air conditioning, do not direct the [airflow] at [people]. It\'s better if there is an exhaust fan in the middle of the room,” David said.

A new study by researchers at the University of Nebraska that was uploaded this week to medrxiv.org, a free online archive and preprint server for non-peer reviewed papers, has succeeded in replicating SARS-CoV-2 taken from microdroplets under lab conditions for the first time.

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Although the article has not been peer reviewed, it reinforces the hypothesis that talking and breathing normally can also spread Covid-19, not just coughing and sneezing. Droplets containing the virus can travel a distance of more than 2 meters.

The World Health Organization (WHO) revised on July 9 its scientific brief on the risk of airborne transmission. “Short-range aerosol transmission, particularly in specific indoor locations, such as crowded and inadequately ventilated spaces over a prolonged period of time with infected persons, cannot be ruled out,” it said.

The revision follows an open letter from 239 scientists that was published in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal that asked the WHO and other public health agencies to recognize probable transmission of Covid-19 through the air.

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KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

Long lines of KRL commuter train passengers are seen at Bogor Station, Bogor city, West Java, Monday (8/6/2020). A number of workers and economic actors from the Greater Bogor region began to leave for Jakarta because a number of offices and economic activities began to open during the Transitional Large-Scale Social Restriction (PSBB) in Jakarta.

Increased risk

The chairman of the Indonesian Public Health Association (IAKMI) Ede Surya Darmawan said that the risk of Covid-19 transmission in workplaces had increased due to increased office activities without applying good health protocols.

"Many people are now thinking that the plague is over because of the campaign to appease citizens. This is a fatal error, because new cases continue to grow. This risk must be communicated so that if [people] return to work, they will be more vigilant,” said Ede.

Government authorities should have enforced the use of masks in all public spaces, including public transportation. Likewise, office managers must be serious in implementing the health protocols.

Many people are now thinking that the plague is over because of the campaign to appease citizens.

According to Ede, the government must continue to communicate the real condition of Covid-19 transmission, including ways to control it, in order to increase public awareness. The data shows that the numbers of new cases and deaths have continued to rise in Indonesia.

The Covid-19 task force reported 1,906 new cases and 117 deaths on Thursday, bringing the nationwide cumulative total to 93,657 confirmed cases and 4,576 deaths.

With the additional cases, Indonesia now ranks 24th in the world in the number of confirmed cases. As a matter of fact, Indonesia has the lowest testing capacity among these 24 countries, with 1 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test – or swab test – per 1 million population. On Thursday, Indonesia tested 13,331 people, of whom 1,906 returned positive test results for a positivity rate of 14.3 percent.

Cumulatively, Indonesia has tested 762,957 people with 93,657 positive test results, and has an overall positivity rate of 12.3 percent. This is far higher than the WHO’s minimum threshold of 5 percent.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Office employees walk through the Jl. Kendal tunnel in Central Jakarta after work hours on Monday (16/3/2020). The government has urged residents to reduce activities in public spaces, including by encouraging them to work at home to help curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. However, not all offices have implemented such a policy.

Quick and accurate

Quick and accurate Covid-19 testing has been hampered in many countries, including Indonesia. A team of researchers from the Queen Mary University of London is leading, for the first time in the UK, a clinical trial of a new rapid COVID-19 testing system that can deliver results in under an hour.

The rapid PCR testing was developed by Novacyt, a biotechnology company that manufactures molecular diagnostic tools and reagents.

Queen Mary University said in a statement that it was collaborating with the East London Health and Care Partnership to recruit up to 2,000 staff and residents of 50 care homes to determine how effective daily rapid PCR testing was at reducing the rate of infection, hospitalizations and deaths.

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The trial team used nasal swabs. Residents, staff and visitors of 25 care homes will be tested daily using rapid testing machines, each of which have the capacity to process up to 100 samples a day. Meanwhile, volunteers at the other 25 care homes will act as a control group and receive the standard central laboratory testing once a week.

Prof. Jo Martin of Queen Mary University, who is leading the study, said, “This work has the potential to bring a new rapid COVID-19 testing system to those at highest risk, and help interrupt community transmission. If found to be successful in care homes, it could be very useful in a wide range of settings, helping to make a quick diagnosis and keep an environment free of COVID-19."