Virginia will Require Masks in Public Indoor Places

       Path Ahead in Pandemic will be Shaped by Masks, Doctor Says

       Wearing Masks is Being Made Compulsory in Spain Both Indoors and Out in Public if Social Distancing is Not Possible

       Mask Policies in Other European Countries

       150,000 Infections at Nursing Homes in the U.S

       Masks, Partitions, and Foot Sanitizers at Caruso Properties in California

       Most Facilities are Increasing Their Cleaning Programs to Combat COVID

       New York Subway Testing UV Disinfection

       Battelle H2O2 System for Oklahoma

       Altapure Uses Ultrasonic Dispersion in its Mask Disinfection Systems

       Russian Scientists Develop Nanofibers for Masks

       O2 Nano Mask is Low Pressure Drop, Efficient and Reusable

       Siemens Corporate Technology China Develops Intelligent Disinfectant Robot

      UVD Robots Used in Patient and Operating Rooms

       Xenex Uses UV for High Pathogen Reduction on Room Surfaces

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Virginia will Require Masks in Public Indoor Places

Virginians will soon be required to wear face masks in public to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, Gov. Ralph Northam announced on May 26, the same day the state saw its biggest daily spike in new virus cases.

The executive order, which takes effect on Friday, mandates that all residents wear a facial covering while in “public indoor settings,”

“We are making progress to contain the spread of COVID-19 and now is not the time for Virginians to get complacent,” Gov. Northam said in a statement. “Science shows that face coverings are an effective way to prevent transmission of the virus but wearing them is also a sign of respect. This is about doing the right thing to protect the people around us and keep everyone safe, especially as we continue to slowly lift public health restrictions in our Commonwealth.”

Path Ahead in Pandemic will be Shaped by Masks, Doctor Says

Americans are at odds over whether it is necessary to continue taking coronavirus protective measures, but a leading researcher says the data is clear: the path ahead in the COVID-19 pandemic is being shaped by masks.

"We now have really clear evidence that wearing masks works — it's probably a 50% protection against transmission," Dr. Chris Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "And so, what happens in the next month or two is very much in the hands of how people respond."

The IHME, which produces a coronavirus model that has been cited by the White House and is one of more than a dozen highlighted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on Tuesday said the model projects fewer people will die in the United States by August than it had projected last week.

The model revised its forecast to 132,000 deaths — which is 11,000 fewer than it projected a week ago. Behavioral changes like wearing masks could be responsible for the reduction, Murray said.

Many officials have urged their residents to wear masks. Former acting CDC director Dr. Richard Besser called it "an American thing to do," and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine told Cooper wearing a mask isn't political, it's "about loving your fellow human being." Still, warmer weather and a holiday weekend drew large crowds from their homes and into public spaces recently — many without any face coverings.

The decision to wear a mask or avoid one will determine what happens next in the pandemic, Murray said. McIlvaine Company would add that the type of mask is a major factor and if masks in general are 50 percent effective what about using  high efficiency masks?  Would this improve the efficiency by 5, 10 or even 15 percentage points?

Wearing Masks is Being Made Compulsory in Spain Both Indoors and Out in Public if Social Distancing is Not Possible

Only children under six and people with health issues are exempt from the law, which comes into force on May 28.

Many European countries have now made wearing masks a requirement on public transport but the Spanish decree goes further.

Spain has seen one of the worst Covid-19 outbreaks in Europe but is now easing the lockdown gradually.

It already requires the wearing of masks on public transport and is now strengthening the rules across the population. Spain has reported almost 28,000 deaths and 232,000 infections since March but the rate of infection has declined.

The decree states: "Using masks will be compulsory on the street, in open spaces and any closed place of public use, when it is not possible to maintain a safe distance of at least two meters (6.5ft)."

It would seem that people with health issues should be the ones most in need of masks.  If fitted with valves they will be comfortable  and not reduce oxygen intake

Mask Policies in Other European Countries

There is a wide array of measures across Europe:

§  Most parts of Germany, Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic say masks should be worn in shops and on public transport

§  Slovakia and the Czech Republic are extending that rule to include offices too

§  Italy says masks should be worn in shops and on transport but in public too where it is hard to maintain a safe distance

§  The UK, Switzerland and Belgium recommend the wearing of masks: face coverings are being advised for people in Scotland and England in certain enclosed spaces

§  Greece says masks should be worn in shops, on transport, in enclosed spaces and by tour guides

150,000 Infections at Nursing Homes in the U.S

Long-term care facilities — including rehabilitation centers, assisted living and nursing homes — struggled to find workers for their mostly low-paying and difficult jobs before the pandemic. The pay has not gone up but the hazards have.

At least 27,700 residents and workers have died from the coronavirus at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities for older adults in the United States, according to a New York Times database. The virus so far has infected more than 150,000 at some 7,700 facilities.”

The Kaiser Family Foundation, which focuses on major health care issues, said: While most (long-term care facility) workers are under 50 years of age, nearly 4 in 10 are 50 or older (38%), including 7% who are 65 and older. Among those LTC workers who most frequently come in direct contact with patients, 9% of direct contact support workers and 7% of aides and personal care workers are themselves age 65 or older and based on their age alone are at risk of serious illness if infected.

Masks, Partitions, and Foot Sanitizers at Caruso Properties in California

Rick Caruso, owner of the upscale Grove shopping center in Los Angeles and luxury Rosewood Miramar Beach resort in Montecito, has developed coronavirus-fighting procedures for reopening his properties that are nearly as over-the-top as the properties themselves.

At his ten malls in the Los Angeles area, expect to encounter “physical distancing ambassadors” to keep crowds from forming and attendants who clean every bathroom stall after it’s used. Shields between guests and concierges will be in, while valet parking and shoe shines will be out.

The picturesque trolleys that offered visitors rides around the Grove and Americana at Brand in Glendale will stay in their garages indefinitely. Workers’ temperatures will be checked daily, and hotel staff must pass through a “foot bath” to make sure they are not tracking in a virus on their shoes.

Elevator occupancy will be limited to one family, or household, per car at a time. And everyone who steps on a Caruso property must wear a mask.

Most Facilities are Increasing Their Cleaning Programs to Combat COVID

Among business leaders questioned prior to their facilities reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic, 94% said they plan to add regular disinfection to their cleaning programs, according to a survey conducted by OpenWorks, a commercial cleaning and janitorial services company.

The survey revealed that 82% of business leaders said it was “likely” or “very likely” that they would increase the cleaning frequency of their facilities once their company reopened. The breakdown of survey respondents’ answers about increased cleaning frequency was:

·         Very likely, 58%

·         Likely, 24%

·         Somewhat likely, 9%

·         Neither likely or unlikely, 5%

·         Somewhat unlikely, 3%

·         Unlikely, 2%

·         Very unlikely, 1%.

 

New York Subway Testing UV Disinfection

Buses, trains, and transportation stations in New York City will undergo ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection under a pilot program starting this week,

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced it will use 150 dual-head mobile lights that emit UVC—one of the three types of light on the UV spectrum that is believed to be most effective against viruses and bacteria—from a Denver-based startup company. Special crews will use the UV lamps during the overnight shutdown on subway trains and during periods when bus transit is out of service.

The first phase of the program will launch this week, focusing on train cars, stations, and yard areas, as well as occupational facilities, crew rooms, and other shared areas. The lamps, which can be installed on a ceiling or a wall, have been installed on poles in the middle of train cars.

The MTA has asked a doctor who is director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University in New York City to examine the efficiency of the lamps. If he finds the first part of the program successful, it will expand to train lines serving the suburbs.

Battelle H2O2 System for Oklahoma

Hospitals, health care workers, and first responders in Oklahoma will soon have the option of recycling their N95 masks, with the state receiving a new decontamination system developed by Battelle, a research and development organization based in Columbus, Ohio.

The Battelle Critical Care Decontamination System is a self-contained, mobile system that uses high-concentration, vapor-phase hydrogen peroxide to decontaminate N95 masks.

Oklahoma will not incur a cost for the new service. Battelle was awarded a contract by the Defense Logistics Agency on behalf of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide N95 decontamination at no charge to health care providers.

“This system is a way to ensure an uninterrupted supply of critical PPE is available to health care workers and first responders in our state for the long-term,” Lance Frye, interim health commissioner, said. “Oklahoma’s stockpile of PPE is in good shape now and through proactive partnerships like this we can add an extra layer of insurance that it will remain that way.”

The Battelle system was created to address the global shortage of personal protective equipment and will serve to maximize Oklahoma’s PPE stockpile, which currently includes approximately 181,000 N95 masks.

Up to 10,000 masks can be decontaminated at a time. The process takes about 2.5 hours per batch and health care workers can expect to have cleaned masks back within approximately 72 hours of receipt at the processing facility. An N95 mask can be decontaminated up to 20 times without degraded performance.

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management has acquired a location for the system in Muskogee and will support any logistics needs for the facility, which will be up and running by the end of the month.

“Bringing in this decontamination system was an easy decision when we saw what it could do and how it could help our state,” OEM Director Mark Gower said. “We are coordinating with Battelle, OSDH and the site location to get the system in place and functional as quickly as possible.”

Battelle will transport the system to Oklahoma and provide staffing to run it. A number of states have successfully implemented the system in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Oklahoma State Department of Health is working with health care officials in Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana to glean best practices for deploying the system locally.

Altapure Uses Ultrasonic Dispersion in its Mask Disinfection Systems

The AP-4™ High Level Disinfection System (HLDS) is an enhanced automated and touchless high-level disinfection sub-micron aerosol system that will consistently kill 100% of pathogens such as: C. difficile spores, VRE, CRE, MRSA, C. auris, & viruses such as the Corona virus COVID-19, in a treated space. The AP-4™ delivers a dense cloud of sub-micron fog droplets for the high-level disinfection of large spaces such as those found in medical facilities, cleanrooms, pharmaceutical facilities, biotechnology facilities, hospitals - including patient rooms, ICUs, and operating rooms. The dense sub-micron aerosol delivers gas-like performance that offers three-dimensional coverage in large areas. The process is safe for all electronics and equipment, non-toxic, organic, food safe, leaves no residue and ends green.

Altapure, LLC, announced new data evaluating two of its devices for the disinfection of personal protective equipment (PPE). Two studies demonstrated the effectiveness of the company’s ultrasonic disinfection technology for the rapid decontamination of large numbers of N95 respirators. Both products generate submicron droplets of peracetic acid (PPA) and hydrogen peroxide and have been shown to be highly effective in eliminating microorganisms in patient treatment spaces and on portable equipment.

One study, published in Pathogens and Immunity, found that the high-level disinfection cabinet, a product that will be available later this year pending FDA 510k approval in high-level disinfection, was more effective than ultraviolet-C (UV-C) light and provided greater reductions on both outer and inner surfaces of N95 respirators with a single cycle. Regarding the UV products, the author stated, “However, the levels of reduction did not meet our pre-established criteria for decontamination (i.e., > 3 log 10 reduction on inoculated respirators), and moreover would not have met a > 2 log 10 reduction requirement for decontamination. Thus, the level of reduction would not be adequate to allow shared use of respirators by different individuals.”

“There remains an urgent need for an effective N95 respirator disinfection process that will allow on-site reprocessing with rapid turnaround times, ease of use with existing personnel and expertise, and flexibility and scalability to process large quantities of respirators,” said Carl Ricciardi, President, Altapure. “Given the efficacy of the Altapure’s process, the study findings have important implications for facilities that are considering decontamination of PPE as a strategy to maintain adequate supplies in the current COVID-19-related public health crisis, and also have potential application for broader decontamination needs.”

The study examined the effectiveness of three methods, including UV-C light, a high-level disinfection cabinet that generates aerosolized PPA and hydrogen peroxide, and dry heat at 70°C for 30 minutes. The decontamination of three commercial N95 respirators, inoculated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and several bacteriophages, including an enveloped RNA virus used as a surrogate for coronaviruses, was assessed.

UV-C administered as a one-minute cycle in a UV-C box or a 30-minute cycle by a room decontamination device reduced contamination but did not meet criteria for decontamination of the viruses from all sites on the N95s. The high-level disinfection cabinet was effective for decontamination of the N95s and achieved disinfection with an extended 31-minute cycle. Dry heat at 70°C for 30 minutes was not effective for decontamination of the bacteriophages.

Currently in pre-print publication, a separate multi-institutional study was conducted by researchers at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (UHCMC), Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center and the Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) to evaluate the technology for whole-room disinfection of a large number of respirators and evaluated the impact of the treatment on mask performance.

“We found that the PAA room disinfection system was easy to set up, operate and was effective for disinfection of N95 respirators with a total cycle time of 1 hour and 16 minutes. Using multiple methods, we did not detect any adverse effects on filtration efficiency, structural integrity, or strap elasticity after five treatment cycles,” said author Curtis J. Donskey, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, and Staff Physician, Infectious Diseases Section, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center. “These results suggest that the PAA room disinfection system provides a scalable solution for in-hospital decontamination of N95 respirators to meet the needs of healthcare workers during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.”

A scalable platform that can be set up in real-world hospital settings, the PAA room disinfection system offers several potential advantages over other technologies being evaluated for PPE decontamination. Approximately 2,000 N95 respirators could be effectively disinfected in a room with the dimensions of the test room (2447 cu. ft), with capacity increasing proportionally to the room dimensions. PAA works at room temperatures and requires a shorter cycle time than many other disinfection methods, including vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP). Currently used for terminal disinfection of patient rooms, the system can be readily repurposed for N95 decontamination without significant added costs

Russian Scientists Develop Nanofibers for Masks

A group of scientists from Russia’s Krasnodar Region invented a nanofiber material for production of medical masks and respirator disposable filters that is more effective for prevention of the coronavirus spread than normal cloth, Dmitry Lopatin, a team representative, told TASS recently.

"We have begun our research in late March: kerosene soot particles have the same size as the coronavirus. We tested both the normal cloth used in mask production and our nanofibers for absorption. Currently, we are looking into two possible applications of our nanofibers for coronavirus prevention: production of medical masks and disposable respirator filters," Lopatin said. Dmitry Lopatin is a graduate of the Kuban State University. The group conducts its research in the Krasnodar Region’s Goryachy Klyuch.

O2 Nano Mask is Low Pressure Drop, Efficient and Reusable

Viaex Technologies, a material science startup and laboratory, has been researching nanomaterials and developing their own products for over six years. They have collaborated with DaD Sewing House, a network of local manufacturers that provide employment opportunities to skilled craftspeople in San Francisco, to create the O2 Nano Mask. Distributed under O2 Brands, the O2 Nano Mask was created in April 2019 as a high-quality pollution mask, and this year, its production was increased to meet the demand of communities and healthcare facilities for protective masks for health workers and people affected by Covid-19. O2

The O2 Nano Mask is sold at $35.99 and comes in medium and large sizes. 

The mask consists of two components: the reusable skin and the replaceable filter. Each filter features three layers: two layers of PET and one embedded with nanofiber material. The fibers are on the order of 85 ± 20 nm in diameter. This nanoscopic morphology creates uniquely small pores and drastically increases the membrane surface area while leaving open-air travel paths in 99% of the membrane volume.

The O2 Nano Mask’s filter component stops 99% of PM2.5 particles, including dust and other air pollutants; pollen; dander and other allergens; bacteria and other germs; harmful gases; smoke (including from wildfires) and other fumes with its five-layer protection and hypoallergenic hydrophobic nanofilter. The filter media used has achieved 99% particle removal efficiency based on EN143 European certification standards and third-party testing.

The mask’s outer shell component can last for a long time. The mask is machine washable and tumble dryer safe. It’s intricately constructed to be worn time and time again. The filters are long-lasting depending on the level of pollution and are also fully recyclable. Each O2 Nano Mask filter can last from eight hours to 20 days (with light exercise in a moderate AQI environment). 

 

The O2 Nano Mask consists of the reusable skin, the 3-layer nanofilter membrane, and a nose bridge for a snug fit. Its main function is to allow wearers to breathe freely while staying protected and avoiding the spread of germs. The materials chosen for the O2 Nano Mask ensure high breathability with a 1 mbar pressure at 60 L/min of airflow, which is much better than most masks on the market. The lower the mbar number, the easier it is to breathe. Using the same air flow rate as the mask, the pressure needed for SCUBA gear is 28 mbar. Blowing up a balloon at 60 L/min takes 120 mbar of pressure, for comparison.

Siemens Corporate Technology China Develops Intelligent Disinfectant Robot

The Siemens Advanced Manufacturing Automation (AMA), which has a focus on special and industrial robots, unmanned vehicles and intelligent equipment for robotic applications, also moved quickly to help tackle the spread of the virus. The laboratory produced an intelligent disinfectant robot in just one week, explained Yu Qi, head of its research group. Its model, which is powered by a lithium battery, distributes a mist to neutralize Covid-19 and can disinfect 20,000 to 36,000 square meters in one hour

Many disinfection robots available on the market combine a petrol-driven mistorizer gun with an electric chassis. However, on-site refueling is neither clean nor convenient, so the team decided to develop purely electric robots.

UVD Robots Used in Patient and Operating Rooms

Danish company UVD Robots is manufacturing robots that are able to disinfect patient and operating rooms in hospitals thanks to powerful short-wavelength UVC lights that emit enough energy to eradicate the DNA or RNA of any microorganisms that are exposed to them. 

 

Xenex Uses UV for High Pathogen Reduction on Room Surfaces

US-based Xenex uses UVC light to annihilate the virus on “high touch” hard surfaces, such as bed rails, trays and call buttons. Melinda Hart, media relations director at Xenex, explained that the radiation damages the structure of genetic material and prevents particles from making more copies of themselves.

The LightStrike Robot is the first UV disinfection technology that has been proven to deactivate the SARS-CoV-2 (also known as COVID-19). The Robot was validated against the live (not surrogate) SARS-CoV-2 virus at Texas Biomedical Research Institute in the biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) containment laboratory which is used to study deadly pathogens for which there are no known treatments or vaccines.

The exceptional results showed a 99.99% reduction in pathogen load in 2 minutes at 1 meter for hard surfaces and 5 minutes for N95 respirator masks.