Abstract
The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Air Quality Network, of which the University of Chester is a collaborator, is working with academic partners to convene this online workshop, which will bring together air quality, virology, aerosol, metrology, climate, health and built environment researchers. This meeting is being arranged at the request of the civil service within government departments. The range of stakeholders’ areas of interest would be wide and the meeting influential in identifying future research directions over the next few years in this area, to determine the current state of knowledge on the possible interactions between air quality and COVID-19, ambient environmental conditions indoors and out, establish evidence gaps and make recommendations for a necessary rapid response and longer-term research agenda.
The purpose of this event is twofold:
- To convene the UK-based research community to establish state of knowledge on the role of air quality (indoors and out) on COVID-19 and implications for management of air quality during a global pandemic.
- To assist the research community in coordinating priority action to address critical knowledge gaps.
The meeting will be hosted on Zoom. Registration is free through the link: https://www.saqn.org/events/co-ordinating-research-action-air-quality-cv-19/
For further information, please contact Dr Andy Williams, Senior Lecturer in Energy and Thermofluids, University of Chester.
Speaker's Bio
Agenda
14:00 Part 1: Welcome and Context
Chair: Dr Marcella Ucci, UCL and the UKIEG secretary, UKRI Clean Air Champions
Professor Stephen Holgate, Medical Research Council Clinical Professor of Immunopharmacology at the University of Southampton
Professor Martin Williams, Head of Science Policy and Epidemiology team at King’s College London and former Head of the Air Quality programme at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Dr Jenny Baverstock, Senior Collaboration Fellow at the University of Southampton.
Brief summary of CV-19 context in the UK
Professor Catherine Noakes, University of Leeds
Sani Dimitroulopoulou, PHE
Professor Alistair Lewis, Defra Air Quality Expert Group
Dr Mike Holland, Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants COVID Group
Scenarios to be considered – pandemic & concurrent risks
Dr Matthew Hort, Head Atmospheric Dispersion and Air Quality, and SPF Clean Air Lead, Met Office
14:45 Part 2: State of knowledge
Present state of evidence and knowledge
Key knowledge gaps:
- Lockdown period
- Recovery
- Longer-term pandemic management including incidence of resurgence
Most critical knowledge gaps
15:20 Part 3: Research Community Action
Ideas for research action to tackle the most critical gaps
Lessons to be learned for air quality and communicable and non-communicable diseases research
15:55 Summary and next steps
16:00 Meeting closes