Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 11 May 2022
260. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Health the current state of the installation of air filtration and-or air cleaning tools in hospitals and public buildings given that Covid is airborne and it is the third year of the pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23743/22]
View answerVentilation has remained a core element of the broader infection prevention and control (IPC) response over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ventilation should not be seen as a standalone measure, but rather a single component of the overall layered response required to reduce the risk of transmission, and an adjunct to the continued need for adherence to the full range of public health advice. The importance of ventilation as a measure to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 is embedded in Government communications on the pandemic.
The HSE’s Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control Division (AMRIC) was established in early 2019, under the Office of the Chief Clinical Officer. It is led by the AMRIC National Clinical Lead and consists of a core multidisciplinary team with expertise across a range of relevant clinical domains.
The AMRIC provides expert advice on the practical and safe implementation and application of antimicrobial resistance and infection control measures in healthcare and non-healthcare settings. HSE AMRIC guidance promotes adequate ventilation as one of a number of measures to reduce the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2, published online here:
Acute Hospital Infection Prevention and Control Precautions - HPSC
Buildings and Facilities Guidance - HPSC
Guidance on the sectoral application of the broad range of public health advice, including ventilation, is a matter for individual sectors. Individual government departments are therefore best placed to provide the Deputy with information on their respective sectors.
With regard to the healthcare sector, the Deputy is advised that the application of infection prevention and control (IPC) guidance as referenced above, including procurement of equipment as necessary, is an operational matter and as such, the Deputy’s question has been referred to the HSE for direct written response.
