SAQN worked with UKIEG and AQN UK to convene an online workshop on Wednesday 20 May 2020, bringing together air quality, virology, aerosol, meteorology, climate, health and built environment researchers 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.
A report from the event has now been published by the three organising networks. The Executive Summary in the report contains details of the knowledge gaps identified at the meeting, and calls to action for the research community. We hope that greater interdisciplinary collaborations will occur as a result of these calls to action.
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