Elastomeric Masks are the Choice for AHN

UV Sterilization does not Impact Mask Efficiency According to ASU Studies

Ultraviolet Sanitization Kit for Masks, Wallets, Keys and Glasses

North Carolina Meat and Poultry Industry has Major COVID Problem

Social Distancing is not a Safe Solution

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Elastomeric Masks are the Choice for AHN

A cost-effective strategy for health care systems to offset N95 mask shortages due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is to switch to reusable elastomeric respirator masks, according to new study results. These long-lasting masks, often used in industry and construction, cost at least 10 times less per month than disinfecting and reusing N95 masks meant to be for single use, say authors of the study, published as an "article in press" on the Journal of the American College of Surgeons website in advance of print.

The study is one of the first to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of using elastomeric masks in a health care setting during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Sricharan Chalikonda, MD, MHA, FACS, lead study author and chief medical operations officer for Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Health Network (AHN), where the study took place.

Disposable N95 masks are the standard face covering when health care providers require high-level respiratory protection, but during the pandemic, providers experienced widespread supply chain shortages and price increases, Dr. Chalikonda said. He said hospitals need a long-term solution.

"We don't know if there will be a shortage of N95s again. We don't know how long the pandemic will last and how often there will be virus surges," he said. "We believe now is the time to invest in an elastomeric mask program."

Dr. Chalikonda said an immediate supply of elastomeric masks in a health care system's stockpile of personal protective equipment is "game changing" given the advantages.

Elastomeric masks are made of a tight-fitting, flexible, rubber-like material that can adjust to nearly all individuals' faces and can withstand multiple cleanings, Dr. Chalikonda said. These devices, which resemble gas masks, use a replaceable filter. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), elastomeric masks offer health care workers equal or better protection from airborne infectious substances compared with N95 masks.

Like many hospitals during the COVID-19 crisis, AHN was disinfecting and reusing N95 masks for a limited number of uses. However, Dr. Chalikonda said, "Many caregivers felt the N95 masks didn't fit quite as well after disinfection."

At the end of March, AHN began a one-month trial of a half-facepiece elastomeric mask covering the nose and mouth. The mask holds a P100-rated cartridge filter, meaning it filters out almost 100 percent of airborne particles.

Until AHN could procure more elastomeric masks, the system began its program for P100 elastomeric mask "super-users": those providers who have the most frequent contact with COVID-19 patients. At each of AHN's nine hospitals in Pennsylvania and Western New York, the first providers to receive the new masks were respiratory therapists, anesthesia providers, and emergency department and intensive care unit (ICU) doctors and nurses. Initially, providers shared the reusable masks with workers on other shifts, and the masks underwent decontamination between shifts using vaporized hydrogen peroxide similar to the technique used to sterilize disposable N95 masks.

Another advantage of an elastomeric respirator program, according to Dr. Chalikonda, is it does not require any additional hospital resources to implement if the hospital already has an N95 mask reuse and resteriliation program. The AHN elastomeric mask program presented fewer operational challenges than disinfecting N95 masks, he stated.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200612172222.htm

 

UV Sterilization does not Impact Mask Efficiency According to ASU Studies

Sterilization may alter mask structure and therefore the effectiveness of the mask’s ability to block small droplets and aerosols. Airborne particles and droplets, from a few nanometers to a few microns in size, are the research focus of School of Molecular Sciences Professor Pierre Herckes. 

Herckes and his graduate student researcher, Zhaobo Zhang, were testing personal protective equipment (PPE) mask efficiency to trap nanoparticles in the semiconductor industry prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. After the outbreak, they were approached by several groups to test mask efficiency before and after sterilization. Sterilization methods included treatment with ultraviolet (UV) light, ozone, or peroxide vapors. Before and after each of these sterilization methods, Herckes and Zhang tested the efficiency of masks to trap droplets and aerosols.

“What we found was there was not a significant decrease in mask efficiency before and after treatment," Herckes said. "However, further testing needs to be done to determine the effect of multiple treatments on the structure of mask materials.”

Herckes notes that their testing methods differ from National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health methods, but nevertheless provide important results.

Herckes is co-investigator with ASU engineering professor Paul Westerhoff on a recently funded National Science Foundation grant, “Disinfection and Reuse of Health-Care Worker Facial Masks to Prevent Infection coronavirus disease.” This grant allows Westerhoff and Herckes to test for change in mask efficiency after repeated UV-light exposure.

“This research is important because we know very little about how UV-light modifies the molecular structure of protective masks,” Herckes said. Their work will also allow them to determine mask efficiency based on particle size and charge.

Large droplets, such as those produced when someone coughs or sneezes, are trapped to a great degree by a mask, and these droplets don’t travel as far as smaller droplets. Smaller droplets, however, are also capable of carrying coronavirus particles. Coronavirus particles are also transmitted by smaller particles, such as those produced by talking or breathing. These small droplets stay in the air much longer than large droplets, and they are inhaled more deeply into your lungs.

“Wear a mask, because it not only protects you, but it protects others,” Herckes said.

Protection from a mask is greatest when it is worn properly.

“Wearing a mask below your nose allows you to inhale and exhale droplets, so cover your nose with the mask, and make sure it fits properly around your face so there isn’t leakage from the sides,” he said. If air goes around the mask, it’s not effectively trapping particles.

Herckes also advises that you minimize touching your mask once it’s on.

“Your mask should be comfortable and not restrict air flow significantly," he said. "When you touch your mask, you are transmitting contaminants from your hands to your mask, and from your mask to your hands. More importantly, the mask will trap airborne virus particles, so you will be transferring these trapped particles to your hands, and then from your hands to whatever you touch, possibly your face, eyes and mouth.”

 

Ultraviolet Sanitization Kit for Masks, Wallets, Keys and Glasses

Thanks in large part to COVID-19, though clearly needed long before any international outbreaks, ultra-violet sanitization kits are finally coming to market, offering portable pouches that kill 99.9% of common bacteria, coronaviruses and, potentially, novel coronavirus, all within minutes. Phuong Mai, founder and CEO of P.MAI., recently released the travel-friendly Violet Clean Kit, which may be the very best way to sanitize your face mask, phone, keys and more.

The partially collapsible, plug-in bag uses UV-C light in a fully-reflective interior to sanitize any small device, gadget or accessory in three minutes, and is equally as convenient on the go as it is for daily use in your own home.

 

Many of the other sanitizers have fewer and less powerful UV lamps than Violet uses . It uses 12 powerful UV-C lights powered at nearly 10 milliwatts. Their Clean Kit has been specifically engineered for optimal UV-C light at germicidal wavelengths. The reflective interior and magnetic zippers ensure the light stays in and does not leak, and the convenient size makes it easily portable. The bag's modern design is also waterproof and oil-proof. Plus, you can use the charging cable and dual power adapter to charge your phone at the same time. While some products use a 1 amp or 1.5 amp power adapter,  Violet specifically use a 2A/5V to ensure optimal output and efficiency.

It is recommended to sanitize phones, keys, wallet, face mask and sunglasses after being outside or around people.

 

North Carolina Meat and Poultry Industry has Major COVID Problem

The meat and poultry industry in North Carolina hires over 35,000 workers in the state and can employ more than 4,000 workers in a single facility. The state is continuously ranked among the top five U.S. producers of chickens and hogs.

But another statistic has emerged in the industry with grim consequences: Plants that process meat and poultry also are a breeding ground for coronavirus. In North Carolina processing plants, more COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred than any other state, according to the Food & Environment Reporting Network (FERN).

When outbreaks occur at densely populated workplaces like meatpacking plants, it’s not just the workers who are affected — they can carry the virus back to their families and communities. State health data on COVID-19 cases per ZIP code analyzed by The News & Observer offers a look into the potential scale of the outbreaks around several key processing plants.

Coronavirus cases and infection rates per 10,000 residents have risen higher in the zip codes of counties with significant plant outbreaks — like Mountaire Farms in Chatham County — compared to ZIP codes in counties without processing plants.

Across 13 ZIP codes near processing plants with outbreaks in seven North Carolina counties, virus cases rose by nearly 600% on average from May 1 when the data was first released up to June 11.

In contrast, the number of cases statewide in the same time frame rose by 262%.

Over 2,000 processing plant workers so far have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to state health officials. Not all infected workers live in the same counties or ZIP codes they work in, highlighting the potential of virus spread.

The infection rate per 10,000 residents in these counties is higher than those of more populous counties with higher overall cases like Wake, Durham and Mecklenburg, according to the state’s daily ZIP code virus data. Here is a county-by-county look at some of the most affected areas:

Chatham County The Mountaire Farms poultry farm in Siler City, one of the major employers in Chatham County employing around 1,600 workers, has had outbreaks since early April. Its ZIP code of 27344 has one of the highest case numbers in North Carolina with 510 cases as of June 8.

An outbreak is defined by the Centers for Disease Control as more than two coronavirus cases.

COVID-19 testing of plant workers and their families resulted in 74 positive cases among 340 people in late April, The N&O reported previously, but the plant hasn’t reported an updated number of cases since.

Mountaire is a main employer of many Latinos of Siler City, who make up 43% of its population, according to recent census data. Most are immigrants from Mexico and Central America.

According to Chatham’s newly released ethnicity COVID-19 data, Latinos are 34% of its positive cases. But Latinos make up only about 10 percent of the county’s population.

Robeson County Three pork and poultry plants with outbreaks — Mountaire Farms, Sanderson Farms and Prestige Farms — are located in Robeson County. The county’s health department told The N&O that by the end of May, Mountaire had 61 cases, Prestige had nine and Sanderson had five.

The world’s largest pork processing plant is Smithfield Foods, which is in adjacent Bladen County. That plant had 92 cases of workers who are Robeson residents, the county health department said.

Several other county health departments told The N&O previously that some of their residents were infected through working in that Bladen County plant. As of June, at least nine residents of Columbus County, three in Scotland County, three in Harnett County and one in Johnston County

FERN’s report on plant outbreaks said that pork plants specifically led in the number of cases with nearly 6,000 cases as of May 19, followed by beef and chicken nationwide.

Burke County The ZIP code of Morganton that contains the Case Farms poultry plant carries 550 of the entire county’s 700 cases. Cases shot up after testing of the poultry workers in early June, reported The Morganton News Herald.

The plant and the Burke health department has said they will not release those numbers.

“We are not identifying numbers at any businesses since these cases are community spread and it is all over the county,” the public information officer for Burke County told The Morganton News Herald this week. “It does not provide any value to list all the businesses that have positive cases.”

Case Farms told The N&O previously that they were contact with the county health department regarding the outbreak.

Lee County The Pilgrim’s Pride poultry plant in Sanford has had an outbreak since early April. Both the county health department and the plant company told The N&O they would not disclose case numbers, though the county organized testing for the workers.

Cases in the ZIP code of the plant and in an adjacent ZIP code have tripled since May 1.

Pilgrim’s Pride parent company JBS had the second-highest cases in its plants across the nation, according to FERN.

A plant worker who resided in Chatham County died from COVID-19 complications last month and also infected his family, The N&O reported.

Duplin County The Butterball and Villari Foods plants in Duplin both have outbreaks. Local TV station WITN reported in April that Butterball had over 50 cases. Southerly Magazine reported that its Latino immigrant workers complained about a lack of protections there and spread the virus to their families.

Cases in the zip code of the Butterball plant tripled to 304 since May 1, but at least 56 of these cases are attributed to an outbreak at the two nursing homes, according to NCDHHS.

Wilkes County Nationally, Tyson Foods has the highest number of coronavirus cases associated with a poultry company. They announced that 570 workers tested positive at its plant in Wilkesboro last month, the largest known plant outbreak in the state. The outbreak shut the plant down temporarily and infected workers from other counties — the total cases in the county are 511, less than the plant outbreak.

Coronavirus cases in the two Wilkesboro zip codes skyrocketed by roughly 1000% since May 1.

Wayne County Two Wayne County ZIP codes weren’t included in the average rate of increase because accurate data before May 20 were not available. Virus cases in the Neuse Correctional Facility in Wayne County were being included in two county zip codes until it was moved to a unique zip code by NCDHHS.

At least 12 cases in one Wayne ZIP code are from a nursing home.

Cases have grown in the ZIP codes of Case Farms’s Wayne County plant — from 12 to 173 — and also in the town of Goldsboro, a populous area 20 miles away from the Butterball facility in Mount Olive, which is split between Wayne and Duplin counties.

Despite the national outbreaks at these facilities, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement June 9 that meatpacking facilities are currently operating at over 95% capacity during the pandemic compared to last year.

The statement says that Secretary Sonny Perdue “applauded the safe reopening of critical infrastructure meatpacking facilities across the United States.”

Declared a critical industry during the pandemic, food processing plants have been ordered to remain open under the Defense Production Act by a presidential executive order.

 

Social Distancing is not a Safe Solution

The conventional wisdom is  that 6 feet of social distance creates a safe buffer, and restaurants, offices, and even Starbucks cafes are being redesigned around that tenet. Social distance does help prevent transmission, but according to new modeling, even a small breeze can spread COVID-19 up to 20 feet.

[Image: Talib Dbouka/Dimitris Drikakis/AIP]

Dimitris Drikakis, the professor at University of Nicosia, Cyprus, who created the model, insists that this finding doesn’t mean that someone coughing 20 feet away will get you instantly sick. The overall amount of virus you breathe in overtime matters, too. But his research does confirm that even outdoors, distance gatherings come with some risk.

On cruise ships and in many buildings, HVAC systems use lower-quality air filters, which might catch just 20% to 40% of viruses passing through. On the tragic Diamond Princess cruise ship, which quarantined thousands of passengers to their rooms for nearly a month while the ship was dry-docked in Tokyo Bay, air circulated between cabins without HEPA filtering, infecting 700 people and killing eight people who were breathing the same old stew of air.

In Fast Company Mark Wilson reports  that U.S. office buildings may begin to retrofit with higher-end HVAC systems (with HEPA filters and even UV light sterilization hiding in the ducts), which are more common in China, but it’s hard to quantify how many companies and landlords are actually taking those steps.

The safest option for quarantining viruses in the air are negative pressure rooms, which operate like vacuum cleaners, ensuring that no pathogens can escape. But they’re designed for hospitals. They’re not feasible for hotels, offices, and other buildings for a variety of reasons—including expense, the difficulty in validating their design, and the fact that every office worker in America would need their own office with a door that is always closed. Only 2% to 4% of all hospital rooms are equipped to be negative pressure spaces as it is.

Some scientists believe that summer could help curtail the spread of COVID-19 due to heat. Indeed, researchers have shown that extreme heat can kill the virus; Ford even retrofitted police cruisers to sterilize car cabins with nothing but the hot air blowing in from the engine.

One component of air quality that hasn’t gotten as much attention is humidity. Stephanie Taylor, infection control consultant at Harvard Medical School, is petitioning alongside companies that make sensors and humidifiers to improve air quality, for the CDC and WHO to adopt guidelines around safe humidity levels—specifically that indoor humidity should be kept between 40% to 60% (the current recommendation of the EPA). That’s the range of what most people consider comfortable humidity indoors, with air that won’t dry out your nose. (By comparison, the Mohave Desert ranges from 10% to 30% humidity.)

Taylor’s own interest in humidity began in 2013 when she was studying how infections spread at a new hospital. Her research isolated just about every aspect of a hospital you could imagine, and she discovered a link between infection rates and humidity in patient rooms. In fact, it was the single biggest correlation she found. “I was totally blown away,” Taylor says. “And to tell you the truth, I was skeptical.”

But Taylor has since validated these findings on studies at nursing homes and schools. And from her research and others in the industry, she identifies three ways that midrange humidity levels stop the spread of airborne pathogens. First, when air is too dry, large droplets don’t fall to the ground as quickly as they normally would. Instead, they dry out to become smaller droplets, which float in the air longer (and also take longer to drop to surfaces, meaning the surfaces can continue to be contaminated). Secondly, airborne viruses that thrive in winter, like coronaviruses, simply aren’t as infectious when they float through moister air—whatever tools the viruses use to be virulent are somehow stunted. “There are a few theories as to why,” says Taylor. “But to tell you the truth, I don’t think we fully understand the mechanism.”

The final reason is that your respiratory immune system just works better in greater humidity. Recent research out of Yale exposed mice to a strain of influenza. The mice were kept in the same air temperature, but researchers tweaked the humidity levels. They found that mice in low-humidity chambers had a worse immune response. Humidity didn’t actually remove the influenza droplets from the air; instead, the air moisture helped their bodies fight off the virus better—all the way down to the cellular level in their respiratory system.

Distancing. Filtering. Humidity. None of these individual solutions can prevent the spread of COVID-19. But used in combination, we can make our indoor air safer—to make it through this pandemic, sure, but also cold and flu season, and whatever pandemic awaits us in the future.

“This type of infectious disease will come every few years,” warned Chen, the Purdue engineer, back in March. “I started doing research when SARS broke out in 2004. Then another time was the 2009 influenza from Mexico, which killed 150,000 people around the globe. Today we have coronavirus. Every couple of years, this type of thing will come back.”

Mark Wilson is a senior writer at Fast Company who has written about design, technology, and culture for almost 15 years. His work has appeared at Gizmodo, Kotaku, PopMech, PopSci, Esquire, American Photo and Lucky Peach.  The full text is shown at https://www.fastcompany.com/90515931/theres-a-key-way-to-curb-the-spread-of-covid-19-but-no-one-is-talking-about-it