Coronavirus Technology Solutions
August 18, 2021

Need for Masks Accelerates with COVID Rise

Thousands of Students Already Quarantining

As Cases Spread, Crowding in Hospitals Has Been on the Rise as Well

Boosters Will Not End the Pandemic, Expert Says

Mask Mandate for Travelers Extended to January 18

HVAC Contractors Believe That Some Recent Trends Will Be Permanent

Rensa Filtration Buys Custom Filter

99% Efficient Tight Sealing Breathable Mask Developed From MIT Spin Off

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Need for Masks Accelerates with COVID Rise

Cases of Covid-19 among children have steadily increased since the beginning of July, according to a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics. And an expert says this rise is just the start of what is to come.

"This is happening before school starts. Schools are opening now," said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. "So, Houston Independent school district opens August 23, that's going to be a huge accelerant. This is just the beginning, unfortunately," he told CNN's Jake Tapper.

More than 121,000 child Covid-19 cases were reported last week, which the AAP called "a continuing substantial increase."

Health experts had hoped to get a critical threshold of the population vaccinated against Covid-19 in time to get spread under control for the new school year, but only 50.9% of the population is fully vaccinated and cases are once again on the rise. And with the more transmissible Delta variant accounting now for nearly 99% of cases in the US, the situation is growing particularly dangerous for children, experts said. They have advocated for children to wear masks in school, but some governors have attempted to ban such requirements.

"Why tie the hands of the public health officials behind their backs? You have two weapons here, one is vaccines the other is masking, and for children less than 12 that's the only weapon they have," Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the US Food and Drug Administration's vaccine advisory committee, told CNN's Erin Burnett.

Hotez said the US is now at a "screaming level of virus transmission," adding that to really interrupt the spread, 80 to 85% of the population will need to be vaccinated.

"We know from past epidemics what that means, the best way to do this is to vaccinate your way out of it in collaboration with masks," Hotez said. "We can't be either, or -- the only way we are going to defeat this virus is with both."

Thousands of Students Already Quarantining

Many schools that have gone back to campus are already seeing the impact of the virus' spread.

More than 3,000 students and employees have been quarantined in the New Orleans Public School District due to Covid-19 cases in the last week, according to the district's latest tally.They represent 5.89% of the students and teachers in the district.

Students returned to the New Orleans Public School District on August 12 and are required to wear masks in school facilities, according to the district.

Mask mandates have caused tension in Florida as some schools press to implement them but are going up against Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban against such requirements.

Among the state's 15 largest school districts, at least 3,143 students and 1,371 employees have tested positive for Covid-19 and at least another 11,416 students and staff members have been quarantined or isolated due to Covid-19.

The tallies do not include any cases from the two biggest school districts in Florida -- Miami-Dade and Broward -- which have not yet returned to school. Broward County Schools begin in-person learning on Wednesday and Miami-Dade begins on August 23.

On Tuesday, Florida's State Board of Education voted unanimously to recommend investigations into the Broward and Alachua districts over their requirement for mask-wearing in school.

In Arizona, Gov. Doug Ducey said the state would use federal Covid relief money to increase the funding available to public school districts only if they're open for in-person learning and don't require children to wear masks.

A handful of Arizona districts have imposed mask mandates despite the state law that prohibits them, arguing that the ban cannot go into effect until mid-September at the earliest, making their current mandates legal.

As Cases Spread, Crowding in Hospitals Has Been on the Rise as Well

Florida currently has 16,521 individuals hospitalized with Covid-19, making up 36.1% of all patients in Florida hospitals, according to an update released by the Florida Hospital Association on Tuesday.

"There can be no question that many Florida hospitals are stretched to their absolute limits," said Mary C. Mayhew, President and CEO, of the association.

Three quarters of Florida hospitals are expecting critical staffing shortages in the next seven days, she said in a statement.

In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said that by the end of the week, "we expect to have more Kentuckians in the hospital battling Covid than at any point in this pandemic."

He added: "The situation is serious and alarming, and we are rapidly approaching critical."

States to the south of Kentucky are quickly running out of beds and calling hospitals in the state asking to transfer ICU-level care patients, Kentucky's Public Health Department Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack said.

"This will cascade and it will get worse," Stack said.

Boosters Will Not End the Pandemic, Expert Says

Health experts have been discussing the possibility of a booster dose to increase protection -- although there is no consensus about when it will be needed.

The Biden administration discussed data Wednesday showing that Covid-19 vaccine boosters may be needed for the general population around eight months after becoming fully vaccinated.

The CDC said Tuesday that the need for and timing has not yet been determined. And the FDA, in response to CNN, said that agencies are engaged in a rigorous process to consider when boosters might be necessary.

"This process takes into account laboratory data, clinical trial data, and cohort data -- which can include data from specific pharmaceutical companies, but does not rely on those data exclusively," spokesperson Abigail Capobianco said. "We continue to review any new data as it becomes available and will keep the public informed."

Offit told CNN the process was frustrating. "You would like to think that the data would come first and then the recommendation would come second, because right now, we're all guessing what's going on."

Scott Hensley, an immunologist at the University of Pennsylvania, told CNN he is skeptical of the importance of boosters at this point in the pandemic.

"If you think a third dose of the vaccine is going to end the pandemic, then you are kidding yourself," he told CNN. "The way to end this pandemic is to get the vaccine distributed across the globe."

Andy Slavitt, the former White House Covid-19 adviser, said Tuesday it will make an enormous difference if most of the world can be vaccinated in the first part of 2022.

"The way we stop the proliferation of this virus is by vaccinating not just the unvaccinated in the US, but the unvaccinated around the globe," he said.

Mask Mandate for Travelers Extended to January 18

President Joe Biden's administration confirmed late on Tuesday it plans to extend requirements for travelers to wear masks on airplanes, trains and buses and at airports and train stations through Jan. 18 to address ongoing COVID-19 risks.

A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) spokesperson confirmed the extension, first reported by Reuters. "The purpose of TSA’s mask directive is to minimize the spread of COVID-19 on public transportation," the spokesperson said

Major U.S. airlines were informed of the planned extension on a call with TSA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday, four people briefed on the matter said.

The current TSA transportation mask order runs through Sept 13. The extension reflects the impact of the highly transmissible Delta variant and is an acknowledgement that transit remains potentially risky, especially for unvaccinated people.

The move comes as U.S. airlines are grappling with whether to require employees to be vaccinated, while Canada said last week it plans to require all airline passengers to be vaccinated.

On Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told CNN there was no discussion "at this time" about requiring vaccines for domestic airline passengers.

Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson said the TSA mask mandate extension "will help tremendously to keep passengers and aviation workers safe."

The current CDC order, which has been in place since soon after Biden took office in January, requires the use of face masks on nearly all forms of public transportation.

It requires face masks to be worn by all travelers on airplanes, ships, trains, subways, buses, taxis and ride-shares and at transportation hubs such as airports, bus or ferry terminals, train and subway stations, and seaports.

The requirements have been the source of some friction, especially aboard U.S. airlines, where some travelers have refused to wear masks. The Federal Aviation Administration, which has instituted a "zero tolerance" enforcement effort on unruly passengers, said on Tuesday that since Jan. 1 it has received reports from airlines of 2,867 passengers refusing to wear masks.

TSA last month told Congress that since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic there have been over 85 physical assaults on TSA officers.

In some U.S. states, transportation hubs are among the only places where masks are still required. The CDC reversed course on July 27 and said fully vaccinated Americans should go back to wearing masks in all indoor public places in regions where the coronavirus is spreading rapidly. The CDC recommendation currently applies to about 94% of U.S. counties.

The CDC on Tuesday cited the Delta variant's transmissibility in a statement explaining the mask mandate. "Wearing a well-fitting mask that covers your nose and mouth is a way to prevent germs from spreading between yourself and other people," it said.

A group of Republican lawmakers in July introduced legislation to prohibit mask mandates for public transport, and other Republicans want the CDC to exempt fully vaccinated Americans from the requirements.

The CDC mask order has no expiration date. The agency in June made a minor tweak to its rules, saying it would no longer require travelers to wear masks in outdoor transit hubs and in outdoor spaces on ferries and buses.

Last month, the CDC official who signed the mask order, Marty Cetron, told Reuters the transit mask mandates have been effective - and noted that children 11 and under cannot yet be vaccinated.

"Masks are really powerful and we should make sure they're part of our arsenal," Cetron said. "The truth is that the unvaccinated portion that's out there is extremely vulnerable."

United Airlines  said earlier this month it will require its 67,000 U.S. employees to get vaccinated by Oct. 25.

The Biden administration, citing the highly transmissible Delta variant and rising daily COVID-19 cases, has refused to lift any international travel restrictions that bar most non-U.S. citizens from the United States.

Airline officials think it will be weeks or even months before the administration lifts any existing travel restrictions

HVAC Contractors Believe That Some Recent Trends Will Be Permanent

All of the events surrounding the pandemic had a significant impact on the market, and the HVAC marketplace was no exception. While some sales and business trends will likely revert to pre-COVID norms, various HVAC associations weighed in on which trends they see having a lasting impact.

Mike Star, president, Lane Associates spoke on behalf of Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA), explaining that people’s concept of buildings has shifted. While ideas like healthy buildings (enhanced IAQ via filtration, ventilation, and temperature/humidity tolerances) have existed for decades, COVID-19 threw a spotlight on the need to incorporate systems into buildings that will preserve health.

The concept of a high-performance building has also evolved. The term is typically used in relation to keep buildings energy efficient and with a small carbon footprint, but it has grown to include enhancing the health of a given space.

“As long as buildings need to be comfortable, we’re going to have work to do,” said Star. “Indoor air quality, ventilation, and occupancy schedules are going to be looked at very closely.”

The pandemic also shed light on specific sectors of infrastructure that need HVAC upgrades, according to Barton James, president and CEO of ACCA (Air Conditioning Contractors of America). This was especially true for the state of HVAC in America’s schools. ACCA released a report of HVAC in the nation’s schools during the pandemic, revealing the immense need for upgraded HVAC systems. Nearly $100 billion from the federal government was allocated for schools to keep students safe.

All of this has led to the HVAC industry being perceived increasingly as belonging in the topic of keeping people healthy, and not as simply one of the necessary systems for building operation.

“Air quality has definitely become a recent focus and put HVAC in a spotlight, with government officials specifically addressing ventilation rates and filtration quality,” said Star. “There will definitely be some relaxing of these ideas, but some will likely stick around.”

 “In our company, we're no longer referring to [digital meetings] as virtual meetings,” Danielson said. “When you think about virtual reality, you think about altered reality that isn’t truly real. But these are not virtual meetings — these are real meetings, and we get real stuff done. And we have real connections with human beings.”

When serving homeowners, contractors can utilize digital meetings to help with initial consultations, follow-ups, or relieving discomfort about technicians coming to a home when the owner isn’t personally there. They may even take the place of phone calls, as companies could use them to connect with customers after appointments.

Colleen Keyworth, vice president Women in HVACR and sales and marketing director, Online Access Inc., sees video meetings becoming more of a staple. Women in HVACR moved to weekly meetings with its members, and Keyworth said that she has seen a growth in people’s comfort with being on camera. Plus, contractors and organizations were able to have some time to work on connections and networking that had occurred at pre-pandemic events or at virtual events.

The pandemic has also revealed the importance of keeping products affordable, especially in a time where supply chain disruptions have led to widespread price increases on the manufacturer side. Solutions such as financing can help customers afford the system they want.

“If contractors aren’t offering affordability options, the end user is going to end up buying the cheapest product that they can afford,” Danielson said. “The contractor will lose out in that case, and the homeowner will lose out as well, because they're not getting the product they wanted. They simply got the product that they could afford.”

One of contractors’ first major victories in the pandemic was being deemed an essential business by the government, which emphasized the critical role HVAC plays in keeping people both comfortable and safe, especially in regards to keeping critical facilities (such as hospitals) successfully cooling patients and ventilating pure air. ACCA’s James explained that this did bring up an interesting dynamic, as technicians were deemed critical and entering into people’s homes, but this caused contractors to wrestle with their liability should that technician contract COVID-19 on the job.

One of the largest challenges going forward, which is little surprise to those involved in the skilled trades, is the labor shortage. For companies that have seen revenues drop and perhaps even needed to lay off employees, the problem of hiring quality talent grows even more.

“As employees, patients, students, and others now return to the built environments, they are demanding proof the spaces are safe,” said Star. “This is contributing to the already tight labor market. Too few techs are standing on the sidelines waiting for projects, and even fewer are entering the trades.”

According to Keyworth, Women in HVACR has used the past year to work on bringing up more scholarships and recruitment opportunities for the industry, creating and releasing tools such as slideshow presentations and videos to help with hiring.

“There’s not enough online stuff to show the younger generation what opportunities we have, whether that be using social media of TikTok videos,” Keyworth said. “We’re trying to address that issue with our organization and provide materials to people who don’t have the ability to get them currently.

 The industry’s organizations have worked hard the past year to equip contractors with the skills and tools needed to adapt, and even thrive, in a challenging, shifting market. And the organizations plan to keep doing this.

EGIA has ramped up investment in its Contractor University, which offers continuing education and online training video classes, along with other resources. The group is also planning on hosting EPIC2021 in Las Vegas in October, in-person.

“Simply put, our top priority is contractor success, and we’ll embrace both time-tested and brand new strategies to help them achieve it,” said Matulich.

MCAA views its role as delivering vital information to its membership via best practice peer panel webinars, timely presentation series with ideas/success stories for business management and organizing speakers from various sectors of the HVAC industry (manufacturers, real estate experts, etc.) to inform their membership. They plan to continue informing their membership going forward.

James said that ACCA has seen its highest membership than ever before. The group is working to improve continuing education in the HVAC industry, and to attract people to the HVAC in an effort to overcome workforce challenges. In addition, ACCA is continually working on keeping its standards up-to-date.

ACCA’s last pre-pandemic events held in person were their 2019 Fall Meetings.

“We offer products that show people how to do things the right way and allow instructors to teach those subjects, whether it’s Manual J or Manual S or other commercial products,” said James. ACCA plans to hold its Fall Forums on Nov. 1-3, 2021, and the ACCA 2022 Conference and Expo in St. Louis on March 28-30, 2022.

Service Roundtable recently launched Service Nation News, a video news broadcast, and is working to expand the business coaching that it offers. On May 13-14, the group held the Barefoot Roundtable event, which met in-person on a beach in Florida.

“We're helping contractors to build training processes and build recruiting instruments to help get more people into and staying in the trades,” said Danielson.

According to Keyworth, Women in HVACR grew in both membership and sponsorship over the pandemic. Women in HVACR is currently planning its 18^th annual conference, which will take place on Oct. 13-15, 2021, in St. Petersburg, Florida, with the theme “Breaking the Surface: Overcoming the Waves of Change.”

“The No. 1 thing people are looking for is trying to find a new sense of what business looks like,” said Keyworth. “You’re coming off of COVID, you’re getting into a new way of doing business, you have new customers, and there are new opportunities.”

https://www.achrnews.com/articles/145229-hvac-associations-look-at-the-future-of-the-hvac-industry-after-covid

Rensa Filtration Buys Custom Filter

Rensa Filtration, a family of filtration companies manufacturing air filtration products, has acquired Illinois-based Custom Filter LLC. Custom Filter is a leading manufacturer of specialty HEPA and ULPA level filtration products. Additionally, Custom Filter offers extensive testing and validation programs with over 60 years of experience servicing OEM, contract manufacturing, niche and a broad spectrum of high-end pleated filters.

Custom Filter makes a wide variety of filters for the most demanding air, liquid and molecular OEM filtration applications. It offers complete in-house engineering services including filter design, prototyping, manufacturing and filter testing.

“Custom Filter LLC is an exceptional filtration company that shares Rensa’s commitment to engineering excellence, continuous improvement and product innovation,” says Brandon Ost, CEO of Rensa Filtration. “Custom is a very well-run organization, and we are thrilled John and his team will remain with Rensa post acquisition.”

"Joining Rensa and Brandon is an excellent opportunity to expand our manufacturing capabilities and platforms,” says John Copley, president and CEO of Custom Filter LLC. “Together we are excited about the exchange of ideas and anticipated synergies with the Rensa portfolio companies.”

Custom Filter is Rensa’s sixth acquisition since its inception in 2017. Other members of the Rensa family include Maryland-based Viskon-Aire, Illinois-based Permatron, Michigan and Ohio-based based RoboVent, Michigan-based D-Mark, Inc, and Texas-based Air Filters, Inc. Rensa will continue to look to add high-growth companies interested in being part of a family of leading-edge filtration suppliers.

99% Efficient Tight Sealing Breathable Mask Developed From MIT Spin Off

Designed for mass manufacture and rapid deployment, a consortium is building an open hardware, reusable, sterilizable, modular, and filter-media agnostic face mask that aims to hit the N95 efficacy criteria. This project started with a team of 20+ seemingly random people who had never met, but who spontaneously formed into a fast-paced, rapid deployment team—hell-bent on saving lives. We are engineers, designers, clinicians, technicians, molders, quality assurance, regulatory, business, etc. 

This collaboration was born out of Helpful Engineering and is now being pushed forward with overall project organization through Open Standard Respirator.

The OSR Mask is now available. It is not yet certified, although it has passed preliminary tests and a NIOSH application will be filed soon. It is not a medical device. Considering the virus surge in the US and around the world we wanted to make the mask available to the public. To get access to the pre-production release check out: 

https://openstandardindustries.com/

The group created both a non-profit (osrdesign.org) for international development, and a C-Corp.

Open Standard Industries, Inc. (OSI), manufacturer of the OSR-M1 face mask, is pleased to formally announce they have entered into a Cooperative Research & Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, Chemical Biological Center (CBC) and the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity (USAMMDA). OSI intends to submit the OSR-M1 face mask to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health for certification as an N95 elastomeric half mask respirator. 

In response to shortages in personal protective equipment as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Government has played a leading role in ramping up production of certified respirators for healthcare and essential workers. In the fall of 2020, OSI entered into this joint CRADA with USAMMDA and CBC.

As part of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command’s N95 Respirator Working Group, multiple prototypes have undergone testing at the CCDC-CBC. The OSR M1 is the first elastomeric half mask respirator to successfully pass this pre-NIOSH testing through a CRADA collaboration using this streamlined processes established by the Working Group. 

As demonstrated in testing by the CCDC-CBC as well as other independent laboratories, the OSR-M1 mask filters provide  >99% particulate filtration efficiency when tested against NIOSH standardized test procedures. The elastomeric materials used in the mask design produce an airtight seal, allowing the mask to fit securely on the wearer’s face and ensuring that any inhaled or exhaled air passes through the filter. The mask is also highly breathable, passing preliminary NIOSH tests of inhalation and exhalation resistance. 

Dr. Matt Carney, CEO of Open Standard Industries, notes, “With these results from the CBC validating our earlier test data, I am confident in the performance of our mask and in our ability to take the next steps toward certification in collaboration with the Army.”

In addition to introducing new N95 respirators to the civilian and military markets, the CRADA may enable the USAMMDA to bolster the Department of Defense’s capability to manufacture protective respiratory devices. The Army has previously published efforts to 3D-print masks for prototyping respirators; the OSR-M1 is different, as it is produced through high-volume manufacturing processes, ensuring it can be rapidly and sustainably manufactured at scale in the USA while maintaining the quality control needed for medical-grade materials. 

Maj Daniel Williams, Air Force Acquisition Fellow at the USAMMDA, states, “Collaborations with small business partners such as OSI, allows us to develop respirators for quality respiratory protection, both for future public health emergencies and military operations. This helps us to address the needs of the military and the general public.”

OSI and the USAMMDA intend to submit their joint application to NIOSH in March 2021. 

Open Standard Industries, Inc., is committed to rapidly deploying and broadening access to safe, effective health technology. The OSR-M1 Mask is the company’s first product aimed at addressing the specific needs of frontline healthcare and essential workers. OSI is working in collaboration with various organizations and hospitals in the United States to test, validate, and scale mask production. OSI is a collaborative spinoff of the MIT Media Lab, Wake Forest Baptist Health, and multiple product development organizations.

USAMMDA is a subordinate command of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command, under the Army Futures Command. As the premier developer of world-class military medical capabilities, USAMMDA is responsible for developing and delivering critical products designed to protect and preserve the lives of Warfighters across the globe. USAMRDC is leading research to prevent, detect and treat COVID-19. USAMMDA is applying existing field-leading research capabilities, a global research network and established partnerships to support the Whole-of-Government response to COVID-19.

The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center) is the primary Department of Defense technical organization for non-medical chemical and biological defense.  DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center possesses an unrivaled chemical biological research and development infrastructure with scientists, engineers, technicians and specialists located at four different sites in the United States: Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., Pine Bluff, Ark., Rock Island, Ill., and Dugway Proving Ground, Utah.  DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center has a unique role in technology development that cannot be duplicated by private industry or research universities. It fosters research, development, testing, and application of technologies for protecting warfighters, first responders and the nation from chemical and biological warfare agents.