Can Air Conditioners Spread Covid-19?

Air conditioners can transmit the virus through droplet transmission or aerosol transmission. Droplet transmission is when virus-filled particles come out of an infected person’s mouth or nose when they breathe, speak, cough, or sneeze. If droplets come into contact with another individual’s eyes, nose, or mouth, the individual is now at risk of infection. Aerosol transmission is when an infected person expels microscopic infectious particles so tiny that they linger in the air and spread from person to person in air currents. Aerosols can travel greater distances and transmission usually occurs in indoor settings. As a result, scientists suspect that air conditioning is another route of transmission due to absorbing virus particles. It is empirically proven that infectious diseases such as SARs and chickenpox have been shown to spread through heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Thankfully, air conditioning systems bring in outdoor air and send out an equal amount of indoor air. This air exchange is intended to remove contaminants such as particles and emissions from building materials, and there is no evidence yet that air conditioners have caused any Covid-19 infections.