Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
Some U.S. States
Reporting
Highest
Infection Rates
in the World
Erie
Pennsylvania
YMCA
Installing
Efficient
Filtration
System
AECOM will
Monitor
Wastewater for
COVID in Bergen
County, NJ
California
Requires Face
Masks in All
Businesses
$240 Billion
Mask Market
Freudenberg
Offers a Type II
Medical Mask
with Nose Clip
for Individual
Adjustment
Medicevo
Graphene Face
Mask is Reusable
for 15 Days
MHI Now Offers
Four Layer Face
Masks __________________________________________________________________________
Some U.S. States
Reporting
Highest
Infection Rates
in the World
Arizona,
California and
Rhode Island are
among the
hardest-hit
places in the
world at this
stage of the
pandemic, with
the highest
rates of
Covid-19
infections per
capita,
according to a
data analysis by
NBC News.
The sobering
figures,
reflected as
rolling
seven-day
averages of new
reported cases,
highlight just
how dire the
situation is in
the U.S.,
particularly as
a new, more
contagious
variant of the
coronavirus has
emerged in
several states.
Arizona
currently has
the highest
per-capita rate
of new Covid-19
infections, with
785 cases per
100,000 people
over the past
seven days. That
rate not only
leads the U.S.,
but is the
highest in the
world, according
to NBC News
data. For
comparison, the
Czech Republic,
the country with
the highest
per-capita rate
of infection,
has reported 653
cases per
100,000 over the
past seven days.
Rhode Island and
California also
have higher
per-capita rates
of infection
than any other
country. Over
the past seven
days, Rhode
Island reported
671 new cases
per 100,000, and
California had
658 per 100,000.
The U.S.
reported an
average of 451
new cases per
100,000 a day
over the past
seven days. That
is the 10th
highest
countrywide rate
in the world,
though several
of the nations
that are ahead
of the U.S. —
including San
Marino and
Lichtenstein —
are much
smaller.
The staggeringly
high rates of
infection
foretell the
challenges that
lie ahead, and
experts are
still expecting
to see increases
associated with
the holidays,
despite the
Centers for
Disease Control
and Prevention
urging people to
avoid gatherings
and limit
travel.
The trends are
especially
worrisome for
states that are
already under
siege. Hospitals
in California
have been
overwhelmed as
the state
grapples with
record numbers
of daily deaths
and
hospitalizations.
In Los Angeles
County, which
saw its case
numbers increase
by 905 percent
since Nov. 1, 10
people are
getting sick
with Covid-19
every minute,
L.A. Mayor Eric
Garcetti said
Sunday in an
interview with
CBS News’ “Face
the Nation.” Here are the hotspots around the world. This is based on new daily cases per 100,000 people and ranges from less than 4 represented by the lightest shade and over 64 with the darkest.
Erie
Pennsylvania
YMCA
Installing
Efficient
Filtration
System
Erie's
110-year-old
Downtown YMCA
building is
receiving a
ventilation and
air purification
overhaul.
Crews have been
working since
early December
to install a new
HVAC system and
upgrade existing
HVAC systems at
the landmark
seven-storystructure.
The $113,000
project is
expected to be
completed in
mid-to-late
January and
is funded by a
$40,000 state
grant and
$73,000 from the
nonprofit's
maintenance
reserve account,
said Gerry Van
DeMerwe, the
chief executive
of the YMCA of
Greater Erie.
The facility has
remained closed
to members since
shortly after
the onset of the
COVID-19
pandemic because
of
ventilation and
facility
limitations and
social
distancing
challenges.
"I think given
the COVID
situation, we
wanted to make
sure we have the
best purified
air we could
have," Van
DeMerwe said.
"We think it's a
priority when
our members
visit and we
have the best
available
technology and
the best air
purification
system so people
feel safe when
they are here.
We put safety as
the number one
priority in our
organization."
AECOM will
Monitor
Wastewater for
COVID in Bergen
County, NJ
AECOM is
partnering
with Bergen
County Utilities
Authority (BCUA)
and Columbia
University to
monitor COVID-19
ribonucleic acid
(RNA) in
wastewater in
the BCUA sewer
shed. Wastewater
testing can be a
leading
indication of
infection rates
when trends of
COVID-19 RNA are
monitored over
time.
“We’re honored
to partner
with Bergen
County Utilities
Authority and Columbia
University to
leverage this
innovative
approach to
tackling the
coronavirus
pandemic,”
said Lara Poloni,
AECOM’s
president. “Our
wastewater
experts are
working
alongside our
partners to
establish
sampling
regiments,
analyze test
results, and
present data
that can inform
public health
decisions and
help our
communities.”
Since the
project’s first
phase commenced
last spring, the
team has
collected,
tested, and
analyzed more
than 650
samples, with
results
indicating that
wastewater
monitoring
statistically
provides a
seven- to
ten-day leading
indicator of
reported
COVID-19 cases.
“Wastewater
testing provides
objective
evidence that
does not rely on
individuals
getting tested,
giving us an
anonymous
overall picture
of community
health,” said Julien
Neals, Bergen
County
Administrator.
“By continuing
to partner
with AECOM and Columbia
University on
this program’s
expansion, we
will be able to
conduct a more
comprehensive,
systematic study
that gives us
the best
available data
to help
determine
emerging
hotspots, inform
public policy,
and assist with
the creation of
infrastructure
to evaluate
vaccine
effectiveness,
once it is
available to the
public.”
Testing for
COVID-19 RNA,
which can be
secreted by
infected
individuals
prior to the
display of
symptoms, in
wastewater may
deliver
valuable, early
information
around trends in
infection rates
and provide
advantages in
tracking hot
spots and
developing
proactive
mitigation
strategies. The
resulting
anonymous data
should equip
public health
and emergency
management
officials with a
continuous
method of
community
monitoring to
inform decisions
around social
distancing
protocols,
shelter-in-place
orders, targeted
testing,
reopening
strategies, and
vaccine
deployment.
“Through our
work
with BCUA and Columbia
University, we
have seen
impressive
results
demonstrating
that wastewater
testing provides
an early signal
of infection
rates,”
said Paul
Storella, senior
vice president
with AECOM’s
water business.
“This critical
program may
assist
government
officials, first
responders, and
communities
proactively
manage surges in
COVID-19 cases
up to two weeks
ahead of
spikes.”
For the pilot
program, the
project team
collected
samples at the
Little Ferry
Water Pollution
Control Facility
six days per
week at six
different points
within the plant
and at various
points within
the sewer
collection
system.
Molecular
testing –
specifically,
RT-qPCR testing
– was then
completed to
determine the
COVID-19 RNA
concentrations
and statistical
analysis was
performed to
develop time
series trends
that correlated
to actual
reported cases.
AECOM, BCUA,
and Columbia
University will
continue this
work as the
program is
expanded.
California
Requires Face
Masks in All
Businesses
California
recently enacted
its own
extensive
COVID-19
emergency rules
for business and
industry.
Issued in late
November by the
California
Occupational
Safety & Health
Standards Board,
the regulations
apply to all
places of
employment
except for:
Employers must
provide face
masks and
require workers
to wear them,
and they must
separate
employees by six
feet or install
cleanable solid
partitions. They
have to
implement
cleaning and
disinfection
procedures and
maximize
ventilation with
outside air, to
the extent that
it's feasible.
Employers need
to report and
keep records of
COVID cases,
exclude exposed
or infected
workers from the
workplace,
provide free
testing during
COVID-19
outbreaks or
"major"
outbreaks (the
number of cases
in a specific
time period
determine the
definition as
well as
mitigation and
testing
requirements),
and create
return-to-work
criteria. Employees
are entitled to
paid time off if
they are
excluded from
the work place
because of
exposure or
infection.
In addition, if
employers
provide
transportation
or housing to
their employees,
they also must:
·
Use higher
efficiency air
filters in
mechanical
ventilation
systems, if
possible
·
Protect workers
using
employer-provided
housing and
transportation.
$240 Billion
Mask Market
We are now
making forecasts
of the number of
masks and
revenue for
several mask
types to be used
in public
places.
It is proposed
that the economy
of the world be
reopened based
on a safe bubble
concept. Any
facility
operating in a
safe bubble
could resume
near normal
operations. The
advantage is
instant
implementation.
The local
government would
be quick to
allow the
fitness center
or school to
reopen with full
occupancy if the
safe bubble
could be
achieved. Let’s
address the
hurdles to
insuring maximum
impact in 2021.
Disposable masks
create two
problems. One is
media
availability and
the other is a
tight fit.
An
alternative is
Comfortable,
Attractive,
Tight Fitting,
Efficient,
Reusable masks
(CATER Mask).
Production could
be ramped
up
quickly. The
wealthy
countries can
afford these
masks
and will
consume the bulk
of them in the
early months. As
the vaccine
takes effect and
mask demand
diminishes CATER
masks can be
supplied to the
poorer
countries. Long
term there would
be increased use
for air
pollution and
wildfire
protection.
CATER mask
suppliers
could
quickly ramp up
delivery to
wealthy
countries with
the assurance
that the poorer
countries and
non COVID demand
would provide a
longer term
market.
This strategy
would put severe
strain on
suppliers to
scale up to meet
the demand in
the needed time
frame. It also
provides no
short term
solution for the
poorer
countries.
The most
effective
strategy will be
to upgrade
disposable masks
to insure a
tight fit and to
use these in
combination with
CATER masks.
Projections have
been made on the
assumption that
three
billion people
will be wearing
masks for the
next two years.
The
number of people
wearing poor
disposable masks
will be reduced
from 1.5 billion
in the second
quarter to less
than 100 million
by the end of
2022.
In the second
quarter of this
year over 1
billion people
would be wearing
upgraded
disposable masks
with auxiliary
seal devices.
CATER Masks
would be worn by
1.4 billion
people in the
fourth quarter.
CATER masks can
be worn for up
to 90 days.
Upgraded
disposable masks
could be worn
for shorter
periods. The
life of the poor
disposable masks
is highly
variable.
Here are
the estimated
number of masks
and revenues by
mask type.
The following
graph shows the
number of masks
per quarter. The
total would
decrease from 18
billion in the
second quarter
of 2021 to just
4 billion by the
end of 2022. At
that point there
would be 2.8
billion CATER
masks produced
per quarter.
Mask revenues
would rise to
$40 billion in
the second
quarter.
Upgraded
disposable
revenues would
peak in the
third quarter
and then
steadily drop as
the CATER
capacity grows.
CATER mask
revenues would
rise to $60
billion in the
fourth quarter
of 2022. This
would include
substantial
sales for
protection from
wild fires, and
other air
contaminants. It
would also
include
considerable
revenues for
courtesy masks.
Mask revenues of
$240 billion per
year are an
order of
magnitude higher
than any
previous
filtration
market.
But never
has a filter
been mandated
for all the
people in the
world. Millions
have died and
trillions of
dollars in
economic
activity lost
due to the
absence of tight
fitting
efficient masks.
The filtration
industry has a
unique
opportunity to
rectify the
situation.
Freudenberg
Offers a Type II
Medical Mask
with Nose Clip
for Individual
Adjustment
Freudenberg
Filtration
Technologies has
developed a
high-quality
mask that has
now been
certified as a
TYPE II medical
face mask (EN
14683). It
combines
effective health
protection with
first-class
wearing comfort.
Freudenberg has
completed all
the necessary
certifications
within just a
few weeks.
Companies are
able to purchase
large quantities
from the middle
of October.
Medicevo
Graphene Face
Mask is Reusable
for 15 Days
Medicevo
Corporation, a
subsidiary of
Corporate
Universe Inc.,
has launched
its Graphene
Face Mask, which
it says is
proven to filter
98 percent of
COVID-19
particles.
Medicevo’s
Graphene Face
Mask has been
evaluated using
the American
Society for
Testing and
Materials (ASTM)
standards for
medical face
masks.
MHI Now Offers
Four Layer Face
Masks
Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries
Thermal Systems
Ltd., part of
Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries (MHI)
Group, will sell
Beaver branded
facemasks to the
Japanese market.
The facemasks
branded as 'The
Beaver Mask' are
a single-use,
general purpose
(non-medical)
mask that uses
the same filter
technology found
in MHI Beaver
Air
Conditioners.
While typical
masks only use a
one-to-three
layer structure,
the Beaver Mask
has a four-layer
structure. The
additional
layers improve
efficiencies in
catching
droplets from
viruses,
bacteria, and
pollen. Between
layers, the mask
integrates
Japanese-made
microfiber and
allergen clear
filters.
In celebration
of the 50th
anniversary of
Beaver Air
Conditioners,
the masks will
sell on
Amazon.co.jp in
boxes of 30
pieces (3 pieces
per bag x 10
bags). The box,
and masks, will
feature an
illustration of
the popular
beaver character
from the Beaver
Air
Conditioners.
From the two
million masks
MHI Thermal
Systems plans to
produce and the
company will
donate masks
free of charge
to some nearby
municipalities.
MHI Thermal
Systems will
continue to use
its accumulated
technology and
expertise to
contribute to
society.
|