Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
$2 Billion Plan
to Reopen
Schools in
California
Small Room Air
Purifiers are
Important
for the
Safe Bubble
Initiative
AHAM has
Directory of Air
Purifier
Manufacturers
CTS has
Extensive
Information on
Room Air
Purifiers
Biden to Release Nearly All
Available
Vaccine Doses
Failure to Distinguish Between Good and Bad Masks
Continues to be
the Greatest
COVID Failure
Boston Doctors Call for National High Efficiency
Mask
Distribution
Program to
Prevent COVID-19
Spread
___________________________________________________________________________
Upgrading ventilation systems is a key way schools can
reduce the
spread of the
coronavirus when
campuses reopen,
but some
districts in
California are
finding the cost
of those
upgrades to be
insurmountable
reports
EDSOURCE. Some districts have recently been able to upgrade their HVAC systems using local bond money. Others hope a newly introduced California Assembly bill will pass and allot extra funding for school facilities. Others are hoping President-elect Joe Biden will push through infrastructure legislation that includes money for schools. But few funding streams are guaranteed, and they may not be sufficient to cover the regular inspections and filter replacements that HVAC systems require.
Because the coronavirus is primarily spread through air
droplets,
teachers unions
and state
authorities are
urging schools
to improve their
indoor air
quality by
installing
modern air
filters or air
purifiers, or
replacing their
outdated
heating, cooling
and air
ventilation
(HVAC) systems
entirely. But
the costs can
exceed hundreds
of thousands of
dollars,
depending on the
region, the
condition of the
existing
buildings and
the size of the
school.
After
roofing, it can
be the most
expensive
project for a
school,” said
Joe Dixon,
retired
facilities chief
for Santa Ana
Unified and a
consultant who
helps school
districts with
facilities
projects. “But
ventilation is
important. It
keeps kids’
minds fresh, it
keeps them
healthy. It’s a
big issue for
any district.”
The
state does not
keep records of
the ventilation
systems in
California’s
10,000 public
schools or which
schools might
need additional
support in
funding their
HVAC.
In the Woodland District, there
is currently
over $10 million
in unresolved
HVAC-related
expenses
spanning over
nine campuses,
according to the
2011 Woodland
Joint Unified
School District
Facility Master
Plan.
At Whitehead Elementary, $35,000
was needed for
new controls for
their HVAC
system. At Rhoda
Maxwell
Elementary,
$142,436 was
estimated for a
multipurpose
HVAC. Dingle
Elementary
School had a
potential bill
of $410,480 for
a replacement
HVAC at the
permanent campus
building, and
Plainfield
Elementary
School needed
around $539,140
to replace their
HVAC throughout
the campus.
Campus-wide HVAC interventions
were and
continue to be
needed at
Woodland Prairie
Elementary for a
cost of
$1.338,708, Sci-Tech
Academy for a
cost of
$554,344,
Douglass Middle
School for
$1,446,075,
Woodland High
School for a
total of
$4,252,276, and
Cache Creek High
School for
$476,448.
It should be noted that these
cost estimates
given in the
plan are nearly
10 years old and
not an accurate
estimation of
current costs.
|
The district is looking at ways
to support the
facilities
during the
pandemic and
beyond.
“Nick Baral is working with his
team to do what
we can,
including making
minor repairs
and maintenance
of our current
HVAC systems as
well as pursuing
higher quality
filters,”
Pritchard stated
late last year.
“While we wait
for possible
Assembly Bill
841 funds, the
district will be
using its
maintenance and
operations
budget to
address any
acute needs in
the area of HCAV
repair.”
While those were short-term
solutions, the
newly passed
Bond Measure Y,
which was on the
ballot in
November,
figures to
address those
air quality
concerns in the
long-term.
Last
week, Gov. Gavin
Newsom announced
a $2 billion
plan to reopen
schools,
beginning as
soon as February
for younger
students and
gradually
phasing in older
grades. His
plan, which is
optional for
schools but
includes
incentives to
participate,
calls for
widespread
testing, contact
tracing, masks
and other safety
measures,
including
ventilation
upgrades.
While
ventilation
improvements are
not required
under Newsom’s
plan, research shows that well-ventilated, clean air can lessen
the spread of
the coronavirus
as well as other
contaminants,
including
wildfire smoke,
dust, and air
pollution. Clean
air can also
improve
students’
academic
achievement,
reduce
absenteeism and
boost health
overall for
students and
staff, according
to the
Environmental
Protection
Agency.
For
many districts,
HVAC upgrades
are just one
more expense on
a long list of
needed repairs,
said Jeff
Vincent,
director, and
co-founder of
public
infrastructure
initiatives at
the Center for
Cities + Schools
at UC Berkeley.
Fixing a
ventilation
system is only
the beginning of
the investments
California needs
to make in its
aging school
buildings, he
said.
“Once
a vaccine is
widespread, it
doesn’t mean our
school
facilities are
all of a sudden
going to be in
wonderful and
perfect shape or
adequate
shape…with many
inequities,”
Vincent said.
“What our
research has
been showing is
that there’s a
long-term and
persistent
underfunding of
school
facilities.”
Low-income
students are
more likely to
attend schools
with poor air
quality and with
facilities in
poor condition,
complicating
efforts to
reopen schools
in ways that
make them
equally safe and
all students and
staff are
protected from
virus
transmission, he
said. As a
result,
students, and
staff at those
schools face a greater risk of contracting Covid at school, he wrote
in a recent
report on
mitigating Covid
transmission in
schools.
“Reopening is
riskier for
low-income
students because
their facilities
tend to be in
disrepair and
particularly
their HVAC,”
Vincent said.
Even
schools with new
HVAC equipment
can still have
ventilation
problems. A
study published
in January 2020
showed that out
of 104
classrooms in 11
California
schools, only
about 15% met
the state’s
ventilation
standards. The
classrooms,
surveyed in a joint study by UC Davis and UC Berkeley,
were retrofitted
with new HVAC
equipment within
the three years
prior to the
study. The
researchers
found that the
systems were
intact, but the
required
inspections to
keep them in
good shape were
not regularly
completed at
each school.
Vincent said the
state needs to
assess building
conditions at
every school in
order to begin
the process of
making campuses
safe for
students and
staff.
“Even
if we all have
vaccines and the
virus is almost
totally
eradicated,
there are still
thousands and
thousands of
children going
to school every
day and sitting
in classrooms
that have really
unhealthy air,
or don’t have
drinking
fountains that
all work, or
have peeling
paint, or are
too cold or too
hot, or have
mold in the
walls,” he said.
“Those are still
negatively
affecting
children.”
In
addition to
funds Newsom
announced last
week, other
state and
federal funding
is available for
schools to make
ventilation
upgrades, but
experts say it’s
not adequate to
fix all the
antiquated or
broken
ventilation
systems in
California’s
10,000 schools,
said Ian
Padilla, a
legislative
advocate for
California’s
Coalition for
Adequate School
Housing.
“(The
new funding
sources) are
good news, but
it’s not nearly
enough. It’s not
a solution,”
Padilla said.
“It’s a down
payment.”
As
some districts
have discovered,
replacing an
HVAC system can
be a lot more
complicated than
just installing
a new model.
Often, an
outdated
electrical
system must be
rewired,
asbestos
removed, or a
new roof
installed to
support the new
ventilation
equipment.
“Unless you
already have a
newer school,
it’s never just
the HVAC,” said
Julie Boesch,
superintendent
of the Maple
Elementary
District in
Shafter in Kern
County.
“Upgrading the
HVAC triggers
all these other
issues, which
can be very
expensive.”
Some
districts have
used their money
from the federal
CARES Act — a $2
trillion
economic relief
package passed
in March — to
make ventilation
improvements.
San Bernardino
City Unified,
for example,
recently bought
3,700 air
filters and
purifiers for
classrooms in
all 72 schools
in the district.
Modoc
Joint Unified
School District,
in rural
northeastern
California, used
$60,000 of its
CARES Act funds
to buy air
filters and air
purifiers for
every classroom,
where students
have been
attending
in-person since
August. The
filters have a
Minimum
Efficiency
Reporting Value
(MERV) of 7, on
a scale of 1-16,
based on the
size of
particles the
filter can
block. The
Environmental
Protection
Agency
recommends
MERV-13 filters
— the equivalent
of an N-95 face
mask — for
minimizing the
spread of the
coronavirus, but
the district
could not afford
those, said
Superintendent
Tom O’Malley.
Although the
MERV-7 filters
are not as
effective at
blocking
coronavirus,
they are
adequate in
filtering
wildfire smoke,
dust, and other
contaminants.
The
filters and
purifiers “have
definitely made
the classrooms
more
comfortable,”
O’Malley said,
although he
worries about
the long-term
costs.
Replacement
filters and
higher electric
bills will be
ongoing expenses
that he’s not
sure how to pay
once the CARES
Act money runs
out. O’Malley is
hoping for more
federal or state
grant money to
come through.
“It’s
expensive, but
we don’t have a
choice,” he
said. “Right
now, it looks
like we’ll have
to cut something
else.
Unfortunately,
someone’s going
to lose out.”
Many
districts are
hoping for money
for HVAC
upgrades from Assembly Bill 841, which
Newsom signed in
September. The
law sets aside
$600 million for
public school
energy
improvements,
including HVAC
systems.
Los
Angeles Unified,
the
second-largest
school district
in the nation,
has so far spent
approximately $6
million on HVAC
upgrades and new
air filters in
response to the
pandemic, and
expects to pay
about $1.7
million a month
for ongoing
inspections and
filter
replacements.
Classroom air
filters were
upgraded at over
1,300 schools
from MERV-8 to
MERV-13, and
inspections have
been increased
from once every
four months to
monthly. In all,
the district has
more than
130,000 filters
to regularly
inspect.
But
the changes will
continue only as
long as public
health officials
determine they
are necessary to
fight the
coronavirus on
school campuses,
a district
spokeswoman
said.
“We
will wait for
guidance from
public health
officials to
determine when
it is safe to
revert to using
our standard
MERV-8 air
filters,” said
Elvia Perez
Cano, a public
information
officer for the
district. “When
we do revert to
MERV-8 air
filters, we will
also rebalance
and set fans to
only come on
when the systems
call for
conditioned
air.”
Some
districts in
wealthier
communities have
gone to great
lengths to
improve their
ventilation
systems before
welcoming back
students and
staff. Palo Alto
Unified, for
example, has
installed
MERV-13 filters
in all
classrooms as
well as portable
high-efficiency
particulate air
filters, and is
adjusting the
HVAC system to
increase the
amount of fresh
air circulating
in classrooms.
The district
plans to
regularly
monitor the
filters and air
circulation
levels, and post
results on
classroom doors.
The
Acalanes Union
High School
District east of
Oakland has also
installed
MERV-13 filters
in all
classrooms, as
well as
“needlepoint
bipolar
ionization
devices,”
high-voltage air
filtration
machines that
release ions
that target
airborne
contaminants, as
part of the HVAC
system.
For
smaller
districts —
especially those
with older
buildings and
tight budgets —
paying for HVAC
upgrades is
especially
difficult.
Minimizing the
spread of the
coronavirus is a
priority, but
many of those
districts also
face other
urgent
ventilation
issues related
to seasonal
wildfires or
increasingly hot
weather.
At
Mother Lode
Union School
District in El
Dorado County,
the old HVAC
system at its
only elementary
school was so
inefficient that
students brought
blankets and
Snuggies to
school to stay
warm. But the
cost to fix it —
along with
myriad other
repairs — was so
high that in
2016 the school
board asked
voters to
approve a $7.5
million bond for
campus repairs.
Voters approved
the measure, and
Indian Creek
Elementary now
has a new roof,
plumbing, HVAC
and other
amenities.
“Conditions
matter,”
Superintendent
Marcy Guthrie
said. “For
family morale,
for staff
morale, for
student safety.
Schools are
people-driven.
People need to
feel safe,
respected,
comfortable.
We’re talking
minimal stuff —
heating and
cooling.”
In
some cases, it’s
cheaper to
replace an
entire school
rather than fix
a decades-old
HVAC system.
That’s what
happened at
Maple Elementary
School in
Shafter,
northwest of
Bakersfield.
Until
recently, Maple
Elementary, a
K-8 campus built
in the early
1960s, was so
dilapidated that
rain water
poured down the
indoor walls
from a leaky
roof. Dry rot
was pervasive.
The fire alarm
barely worked.
The electrical
system was
antiquated and
dangerous. Worst
of all, the
school — in the
heart of the San
Joaquin Valley —
lacked air
conditioning.
“I put
43,000 miles on
my car in one
year driving
back and forth
to Sacramento,
trying to
convince
legislators to
help us,” Boesch,
the
superintendent,
said. “‘No’ is
not the answer,
because children
should not have
to go to school
in these
conditions.”
The
district finally
secured $11
million from the
state’s hardship
fund for schools
and was able to
build a new
school in 2019.
Boesch used
CARES Act
funding to buy
two portables,
masks, and
sanitation
supplies so
students can
return safely to
school beginning
in January.
Combined with
the new
ventilation
equipment,
Boesch believes
the school will
be safe for
students and
staff.
“We feel pretty good, but
there’s been a
lot of
frustration,”
she said. “For
some districts,
you really have
to move heaven
and earth to
make these
improvements
happen.”
Small Room Air Purifiers are Important
for the
Safe Bubble
Initiative
The clean bubble concept includes room air purifiers as a
supplement to
masks and HVAC.
Large units are
used in
industrial and
commercial
settings. Small
units can be
effective in
single
residences but
also in less
traveled spaces
within larger
facilities.
These
smaller units
are often rated
based
on CADR.
The Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) is an established standard
defined by the
independent
Association of
Home Appliance
Manufacturers
(AHAM) in the
U.S. Certified
and verified by
an independent
laboratory, AHAM
uses CADR to
assure consumers
that an air
purifier will
perform
according to the
manufacturer’s
product claims
and helps
shoppers easily
identify which
air cleaners
work better than
others.
CADR measures an air cleaner's effectiveness based on room space
and the volume
of clean air
produced per
minute. This
shows how well
dust, pollen,
and smoke, the
three most
common indoor
air pollutants
are removed from
the air you
breathe.
Once tested, results are converted to cubic meters per hour (m3/h).
The higher the
CADR test
numbers, the
better the
unit’s overall
ability to clean
indoor air. For
example, if an
air purifier has
a CADR of 388
for tobacco
smoke particles,
it will reduce
smoke particle
levels to the
same
concentration as
would be
achieved by
adding 380 cubic
feet of 100%
clean air per
minute.
Providing a direct comparison between top-rated air purifiers, CADR
is the only air
purifier
standard that is
recognized as an
American
National
Standard, since
it allows for
consistent
comparison
between AHAM
certified
products. CADR
is also endorsed
by the U.S. Food
and Drug
Administration
and the
Environmental
Protection
Agency.
AHAM has Directory of Air Purifier Manufacturers The
Association of
Home Appliance
Manufacturers
(AHAM) is the
single voice
providing the
home appliance
industry and
consumers with
leadership,
advocacy and a
forum for action
in public
policy,
standards and
business
decisions. AHAM
helps
manufacturers
bring efficient,
high-performing
home appliances
into the homes
of consumers in
the United
States, Canada
and around the
world. AHAM
represents
manufacturers of
a full spectrum
of major,
portable and
floor care
appliances, as
well as
suppliers to
manufacturers. AHAM
Verification
Programs have
been an
important part
of AHAM services
since the
Association’s
inception. The
programs provide
a uniform and
practical
verification of
energy,
volume and
certain
performance
criteria for
each product,
with an
independent
laboratory
performing the
verification
testing. AHAM is
recognized by
the EPA as an
Administrative
Body and
approved to
administer
verification
testing for
purposes of the
ENERGY STAR
program.
Products may be
selected at any
time for
verification
testing,
ensuring the
product’s energy
consumption
rating is
consistent with
the measured
energy
consumption.
Since 1967, AHAM
have used
outside labs to
test products,
and today,
manufacturers
use AHAM ratings
on a variety of
appliances. This
makes comparing
products easier
for consumers
and gives them a
consistent
product standard
they can trust.
The extra time at home
because of
COVID-19
restrictions has
made it even
more important
to avoid the
discomfort and
potential health
issues, like
allergy
symptoms, that
can arise from
poor indoor air
quality.
Details on available room
air purifiers
are shown at
https://www.ahamdir.com/room-air-cleaners/
CTS has Extensive Information on Room Air Purifiers
Over 100 articles on room air purifiers can be accessed with the
CTS search
engine. Here is
a search using
room “and”
purifier
In the September 3 Alert we covered
a blog
which rated some
air purifiers.
The following
air purifiers
were selected
with one
criteria being
the ability
remove
coronavirus.
Some of the links to other artices are provided below
1.
16. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
2.
... 11, 2020 KLC Kinglandclean Provides Elevator Air Purifying System
with High
Efficiency on
the Coronavirus ... HEPAs
as an
Alternative or
Supplement to
Partitions
Restaurants can
Learn from
Airlines
Restaurants in
Hong ...
3.
Terms matched: 2 -
Score: 242
- 12 May 2020
- URL:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-05-11/Alert_202005011.html
4.
18. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
5.
... Technology Solutions August 11, 2020 New Air Purifier Production
Facility for
EnviroKlenz® Air Purifiers ... to
Measure the One
Stop as Well as
Direct Flight
Path for Viruses
Duke Researchers
Observe ...
6.
Terms matched: 2 -
Score: 224
- 11 Aug 2020
- URL:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-08-11/Alert_20200811.html
7.
19. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
8.
... for Room Purifiers for
Both COVID and Air Pollution
Magneto
Cleantech is
Getting Good
Press Coverage ... ,
2020 IQAir
9.
21. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
10.
... a mechanism enabling it to take in air,
imitating human
breathing. In
one experiment ... conditioning,
there is the
stationary air purifier OurAir
SQ 2500 which is
suitable for
rooms ...
11.
25. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
12.
... 2020 How Effective is the Automobile Cabin Air Filter?
Large-Volume
Mobile HEPA Air Filtration
System ... viral
particles
present. A
low-cost air purifier containing
a HEPA filter
can cost on the ...
13.
Terms matched: 2 -
Score: 206
- 29 Apr 2020
- URL:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-04-07/20200407.html
14.
26. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
15.
... Expanding Mask and Filter Activities Worldwide Well Air Supplies
Plasma Treatment
and Monitors
Flexible Air Filtration ... Need
PPE Camfil has
New Room Air Purifier More
Efficient Air Filtration
Systems Needed
for New ...
16.
Terms matched: 2 -
Score: 201
- 2 Jul 2020
- URL:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-07-01/Alert_20200701.html
17.
27. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
18.
1. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
19.
... Fibers Huadi Supplies HEPA H13 Meltblown Non-woven Air Filter
Media and N95
Masks Welcron
Supplying
Filter ... HEPA
and ULPA Filters
TBH Supplies Air Purifiers for
Dental Practices
N95 Masks can be
Recharged ...
20.
Terms matched: 2 -
Score: 195
- 9 Sep 2020
- URL:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-09-09/Alert_20200909.html
21.
32. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
22.
... Systems and Cabinets CRI has New Mobile Air Purifier Trane
has Suite of
Services to
Allow ... to
be Reopened
Safely Johnson
Controls
Provides HVAC
Systems and
Filters to Fight
COVID ____ ...
23.
34. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
24.
... Mounted HEPA Filter Systems Reliance on Outdoor Air is
Not a Good
Solution
Michigan has
Switched ... .
Ceiling-mounted
enVerid
filtration The
ceiling-mounted air purifier units
are superior to
portable ones
for a ...
25.
Terms matched: 2 -
Score: 184
- 23 Dec 2020
- URL:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-12-22/Alert_2020
26.
36. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
27.
... a Range of Particle Sizes Tri-Dim Room Air Purifier has
HEPA Filter, UV,
and ... Speed
Fan Knorr Brake
has Ionizing
System for
Railcars
Comparison of
Filter
Efficiencies
U.S. Could ...
28.
Terms matched: 2 -
Score: 181
- 4 Sep 2020
- URL:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-09-04/Alert_20200904.html
29.
39. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
30.
... governments to mitigate COVID and improve the air we
breathe. He
points out that
a ... Carrier
Now has a 1500
CFM Room Purifier for
Schools ____
Interview with
Nathaniel Nance ...
31.
Terms matched: 2 -
Score: 172
- 15 Jul 2020
- URL:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-07-10/Alert_20200710.html
32.
41. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
33.
... Mask with Unique Features M + H Air Purifier Used
at Schools ____
New Mexico ... Only
Some Schools
From MERV 10 to
13 Due to
COVID-19 New
Mexico public
health
guidelines ...
34.
Terms matched: 2 -
Score: 170
- 9 Dec 2020
- URL:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-12-08/Alert_20201203-08.html
35.
42. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
36.
55. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
37.
... 2020 Aerosols for HEPA Filter Testing Austin Air Canada
Struggling to
Keep Up with
Demand for ... Purifiers Delivery
Dates of MERV 13
Filters Extended
by Two Months
Shortage of HVAC
Filters
Reported ...
38.
Terms matched: 2 -
Score: 140
- 8 Oct 2020
- URL:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-10-08/Alert_20201008.html
39.
56. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
40.
... EU Need PPE Camfil has New Room Air Purifier More
Efficient Air Filtration
Systems Needed
for ... York
Malls ____ Who
is Going to Need
an Efficient
Mask? Most of
the ...
41.
Terms matched: 2 -
Score: 140
- 1 Jul 2020
- URL:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-06-30/Alert_20200630.html
42.
59. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
43.
... Five in Asia Hong Kong Company Claims Air Purifier Removes
99.9% of COVD.
Nanofiber ... and
HVAC Filter
Company off to
Fast Start
NXTNANO Supplies
Media for Masks,
HVAC, ...
44.
Terms matched: 2 -
Score: 134
- 17 Sep 2020
- URL:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-09-17/Alert_20200917.html
45.
60. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Ale
46.
... interviewed on holistic approach to providing clean air solutions
for COVID ____
NY Times
Article ... for air hygiene.
The mobile air purifiers of
the OurAir
product line are
also part ...
47.
Terms matched: 2 - Score: 131 - 20
Nov 2020 -
URL:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-11-19/Alert_20201119.html
48.
77. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Ale
49.
... Walk Through Infrared Body Temperature Scanners HEPA Air Filtration
and UV Treatment
in Elevators
Battelle H2O2 ... been
developed. TJHQ
series of air purifiers can
be installed in air conditioning
or as ...
Biden to Release Nearly All
Available
Vaccine Doses
President-elect
Joseph R. Biden
Jr. plans to
release nearly
all available
coronavirus
vaccine doses
“to ensure the
Americans who
need it most get
it as soon as
possible,” the
Biden transition
team said
Friday, a move
that represents
a sharp break
from the Trump
administration’s
practice of
holding back
some of the
vaccine.
The announcement
coincided with a
letter from
eight Democratic
governors —
including Andrew
M. Cuomo of New
York and
Gretchen Whitmer
of Michigan,
both of whom
have clashed
with President
Trump —
imploring the
current
administration
to release all
available doses
to the states as
soon as
possible.
“The failure to
distribute these
doses to states
who request them
is
unconscionable
and
unacceptable,”
the governors
wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The New York Times
and sent Friday
to the secretary
of health, Alex
M. Azar II, and
Gen. Gustave F.
Perna, who is in
charge of
vaccine
distribution.
“We demand that
the federal
government begin
distributing
these reserved
doses to states
immediately,”
the letter said.
Because both of
the vaccines
with emergency
approval require
two doses, the
Trump
administration
has been holding
back roughly
half of its
supply to ensure
those already
vaccinated
receive the
booster dose.
The vaccine
rollout has been
troubled from
the start.
As of Thursday,
the Trump
administration
had shipped more
than 21 million
vaccine doses,
and millions
more were
already in the
federal
government’s
hands. Yet only 5.9 million people had received a dose. State and
local public
health
officials,
already
overwhelmed with
rising
infections, have
been struggling
to administer
the vaccine to
hospital workers
and at-risk
older Americans
while most
people remain in
the dark about
when they might
be protected.
Mr. Biden has
promised that
100 million
doses of the
vaccine would be
administered by
his first 100th
day in office.
Releasing the
vast majority of
the vaccine
doses raises the
risk that second
doses would not
be administered
on time.
Officials from
the Food and
Drug
Administration —
experts whose
advice Mr. Biden
has pledged to
follow — have
spoken out strongly against changing the dosing schedule, calling
such a move
“premature and
not rooted
solidly in the
available
evidence.”
A transition
official,
speaking
anonymously to
provide insight
into the
president-elect’s
thinking, said
would use the
Defense
Production Act,
if needed, to
ensure that
enough doses are
available.
However, the
official also
noted that the
Biden team has
“faith in our
manufacturers
that they can
produce enough
vaccines to
ensure people
can get their
second dose in a
timely manner,
while also
getting more
people their
first dose.”
A spokesman for
Operation Warp
Speed, the Trump
administration’s
vaccine
initiative,
released a
statement
sharply
criticizing Mr.
Biden’s
approach.
“If
President-elect
Biden is calling
for the
distribution of
vaccines knowing
that there would
not be a second
dose available,
that decision is
without science
or data and is
contrary to the
FDA’s approved
label,” said the
spokesman,
Michael Pratt.
“If
President-elect
Biden is
suggesting that
the maximum
number of doses
should be made
available,
consistent with
ensuring that a
second dose of
vaccine will be
there when the
patient shows
up, then that is
already
happening.”
A spokesman for
the transition
team, T.J.
Ducklo, said Mr.
Biden “believes
we must
accelerate
distribution of
the vaccine
while continuing
to ensure the
Americans who
need it most get
it as soon as
possible.”
“He supports
releasing
available doses
immediately and
believes the
government
should stop
holding back
vaccine supply
so we can get
more shots in
Americans’ arms
now,” Mr. Ducklo
said. “He will
share additional
details next
week on how his
Administration
will begin
releasing
available doses
when he assumes
office on
January 20th.”
Dr. Leana Wen,
an emergency
physician and
public health
expert at the
George
Washington
University
School of Public
Health, said she
was surprised
and concerned
about the new
strategy, which
seemed to offer
a solution
incongruous with
the biggest
problems in the
vaccine rollout.
Distribution has
sputtered in
large part
because of a
lack of
administering
capacity and
several
logistical
hurdles, rather
than a severe
shortage of
doses.
“This is not the
problem we’re
trying to solve
right now,” Dr.
Wen said.
For such a plan
to work, Dr. Wen
added, the Biden
administration
will need to be
confident in
both improved
distribution
tactics and
sufficient
vaccine
production, “so
all who receive
the first dose
of the vaccine
will receive the
second in a
timely manner.”
Should a high
number of
delayed second
doses occur —
ostensibly
shirking the
regimens laid
out in clinical
trials — “it
runs the risk of
substantially
eroding public
trust in
vaccines,” Dr.
Wen said. The
recommended
timeframe for
administering
the second dose
for the Pfizer-BioNTech
vaccine is 21
days later, and
for the Moderna
vaccine, 28
days.
Mr. Biden’s
announcement
came amid
growing pressure
to step up the
slow pace of
mass
vaccinations.
Speaking at a news briefing on Friday, Dr. Stephen Hahn, the F.D.A.
commissioner,
urged states
that have
utilized only a
small part of
their supply to
begin
vaccinating
lower-priority
groups, while
still observing
government
guidelines.
“We think that
will go a long
way toward using
these vaccines
appropriately
and getting them
into the arms of
individuals,” he
said.
Failure to
Distinguish
Between Good and
Bad Masks
Continues to be
the Greatest
COVID Failure
People are
required to wear
masks without
any
specification of
mask quality. We
have compared
this
to the
requirement to
wear some sort
of head covering
in football.
High quality
helmets have
been required.
Despite evidence
that good masks
reduce COVID by
as much as 70
times that of
poor masks.
We
continue to read
about research
which is very
misleading. Here
is one which
compared poor
masks to no
masks and not
surprisingly
found little
difference
Back in April, researchers split 6,000 Danish citizens
into two roughly
equal groups.
The first group
was asked to
wear a paper
surgical mask
anytime they
went out in
public for the
next month.
Those masks are
about 98%
effective at
screening small
particles, but
they don’t fit
snugly to the
face the way N95
masks do. There
are still gaps
where unfiltered
air can reach
the nose and
mouth. (this can
reduce the FFE
to 60% or less).
A TE 90
mask will allow
10% of the virus
to escape but if
also worn by the
recipient only
1% of the virus
will be inhaled.
A 60%
efficient mask
allows 40% of
the virus to
reach the
recipient who
then inhales 16%
of the total.
So there is a 16 x difference in virus
transmission.
The mask group watched a video explaining how to wear
masks properly
and got 50 free
masks in the
mail. The
control group
was assigned not
to wear face
masks. In fact,
the researchers
excluded people
who wore masks
for protection
on the job. The
control group
was told to
follow the
advice of public
health
authorities.
Before the study
began, everyone
was tested for
antibodies to
make sure they
hadn’t already
been infected
with the virus.
If they were
positive, they
were excluded
from the trial.
The study was “powered” -- meaning that it included enough
people -- to
detect whether
following the
advice to wear a
mask could cut
the risk of
catching
COVID-19 by 50%,
or half. It
didn’t.
“That’s a big number in any clinical trial,” says F. Perry
Wilson, MD, an
associate
professor at
Yale University.
Wilson writes
the Methods Man
blog, where he
breaks down the
findings of
clinical trials.
He was not
involved in the
current
research.
In other words, the trial was designed to look for a big
benefit for
people who wear
masks. It didn’t
find that large
benefit.
After 1 month, 42 people out of 2,392 in the group that
wore masks, or
1.8%, developed
a COVID-19
infection,
compared to 53
people out of
2,470 in the
group that
didn’t wear
masks, or 2.1%.
That’s a smaller benefit -- about a 16% reduction in
infections, on
average -- in
people who said
they wore their
masks as they
were told.
That result didn’t pass a test for statistical
significance,
though, meaning
that it could
have been due to
chance
It is too bad the test comparison was not run with masks
16 x more
efficient.
There may
even be more
difference
because of the
evaporation of
droplets on the
mask interior
surface and then
release.
So a mask
which initially
is 60% efficient
may only be 40%
efficient when
evaporation and
re-emission is
taken into
account.
Boston Doctors Call
for National
High Efficiency
Mask
Distribution
Program to
Prevent COVID-19
Spread
Dr. Abraar Karan and Dr. Ranu Dhillon laid out
the case for a
National Hi-Fi
Mask Initiative
in an op-ed in STAT on Thursday, co-authored with
Devabhaktuni
Srikrishna,
founder of
Patient Knowhow.
“More and better masks can help get us to that
point with fewer
infections and
deaths,” the
doctors wrote.
“With validated
designs already
on the market,
mass production
of hi-fi masks
could be done
relatively
quickly.”
Hi-fi masks are the best
protection
against the
small particles
that spread the
virus, the
doctors wrote.
Reducing the
spread of the
virus by
protecting
against those
droplets is
essential as the
nation waits for
the general
population to
get vaccinated,
they said.
“Ideally, a set of masks would
be mailed to
each U.S.
household every
month — the
costs of doing
so pale in
comparison to
the pandemic’s
toll on lives
and the
economy,” they
wrote in the
op-ed. “The use
of such masks
would, in
combination with
other
risk-reduction
strategies, create
safer workspaces
for essential
workers, many
who are not
currently
prioritized to
get early
vaccinations.
Since the
pandemic began,
surgical and
cloth masks have
become widely
available at
pharmacies,
grocery stores,
hardware
stories, online,
and elsewhere.
Hi-fi masks
should also be
made
ubiquitously
available
through these
same venues,
some of which
are already
coordinating
with the federal
government to
roll out
COVID-19
vaccines.”
On Twitter, Karan explained that
Americans could
then use the
masks any time
they were
outside their
homes in indoor
spaces.
“As the pandemic surges, most of
the cases I am
now seeing in
the hospital do
not know where
or how they were
infected,” he
wrote. “A number
of them report
wearing cloth
masks regularly,
and this is much
better than no
mask, but we
know that not
all masks are
created equal.
N95 masks that
healthcare
workers like
myself use in
the hospital
offer the best
protection.
Ten months into the pandemic,
many people have
been unable to
obtain N95s on
their own and
many health care
workers still do
not have
adequate
supplies of the
protective
equipment, the
doctor wrote.
“Better masks should be a
serious priority
here,” Karan
said, stressing
that the
equipment
focuses on
stopping the way
the virus
transmits and,
unlike vaccines,
isn’t tied
specifically to
a variant.
Ensuring everyone has access to
more protective
masks is another
way of
protecting
against the new
variant of
COVID-19, which
experts believe
is more easily
spread.
“As vaccines roll out over this
year, we cannot
afford continued
spread as it is
happening,” Karn
said. “We cannot
rely on
incremental
policy changes
with exponential
viral growth. We
need to do
everything we
can do urgently
– better masks
are central”
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