Coronavirus Technology Solutions
January 29, 2021

Three Step Mask Strategy Webinar Friday Feb 5 at 10:AM CST

RDI Medical has High Speed Mask Making Machinery

China Reports COVID Outbreak At Chicken Processing Plant

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Three Step Mask Strategy Webinar Friday Feb 5 at 10:AM CST

On Friday, February 5 we will discuss the three step plan authored by

• Devabhaktuni Srikrishna is the founder of Patient Knowhow,
• Joseph Buccina is a director at In-Q-Tel’s B.Next,
• Dan Hanfling, MD, is a clinical professor of emergency medicine at George Washington University, co-chair of the National Academy of Medicine Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness, .
• Monica Gandhi, MD, is an infectious disease specialist, professor of medicine, medical director of the Ward 86 HIV Clinic, and director of the Center for AIDS Research at the University of California, San Francisco.
• Donald Milton, MD, is a professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. \xxx.

Sri will provide a brief overview of the plan but we also ask attendees to view details in the January 27 Alert.  We will discuss each of the three steps and  contents below. We encourage you to participate and also to submit evidence, opinions etc. ahead of time. 

As Sri and the other authors point out the three step plan needs to be quickly implemented and “it is up to CEOs, mayors, and governors to implement these three steps to ensure consistent use of the best possible masks for vulnerable groups”.  Here is a proposed agenda of subjects to be addressed.

The three steps are (l) launching an awareness blitz, (2) advise on which masks should be worn and (3) prioritize masks for the vulnerable.

In the Alert today we will be providing background data for the webinar on the first step. Background data for the other steps will be in the Alerts next week

The three steps are (l) launching an awareness blitz, (2) advise on which masks should be worn and (3) prioritize masks for the vulnerable.

1.      Launch an awareness blitz

      a.       roles

                                                                                 i.      mainstream media including local news outlets

                                                                                 ii.      role of association and occupational media including business  and medical

                                                                                iii.      suppliers from the large validators such as SGS and Eurofin to media suppliers to mask manufacturers

                                                                                iv.      CATER Mask Decisions

    b.      message

                                                                              i.      push - the need to mandate use of efficient masks

                                                                              ii.      pull - the advantage of using pull or incentives

               1.      the safe bubble with the promise of full occupancy within  the bubble

                                                                             iii.      criteria

               1.      general and absolute

               2.      relative risk reduction as proposed by Mcilvaine

                                                                           iv.      product availability

              1.      media

              2.      masks

              3.      timing

              4.      geographies

a Roles -BARDA

BARDA DRIVe, in partnership with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), seeks to understand the barriers and challenges associated with the next generation of innovative mask designs. The Mask Innovation Challenge is an initiative that aims to support the development of innovative masks that can protect Americans from respiratory pathogens. 

McIlvaine submitted a proposal as requested by BARDA.  Here are excerpts

Response to BARDA RFQ by the McIlvaine Company

Thanks for the opportunity to submit a proposal relative to public masks. McIlvaine has published Decision Systems for nearly 45 years. These have all been services paid for by the users.  Due to the magnitude of the problem and the realization that tight fitting efficient masks would be the solution McIlvaine initiated a free Decision System  on mask options to mitigate COVID in March 2020. Daily Alerts webinars and an intelligence system make this service an ideal vehicle to accomplish the ends indicated in the RFI.  Access to the system is available at

http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/CATER/subscriber/default.htm

What do you see as the most important criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of a community mask that is to be used by the general public? Examples might include assurance of consistent fit, comfort, airflow resistance, ability to protect the wearer and stop particles from escaping the mask, cost, etc. .

Answer: We are addressing these questions on a daily basis in our Coronavirus Mask Decisions.  One segment has been grouped as CATER which stands for Comfortable Attractive, Tight fitting, Efficient, and Reusable. Another group has been identified as disposable efficient  and tight fitting. Another group is disposable, efficient, and loose fitting. A fourth group is disposable, efficient, loose fitting but with a brace which makes them tight fitting. A fifth group is industrial respirators.

The most important criterion is to provide everyone with tight fitting efficient masks. This can be done within just a few months with a combination of the above mask types and initial heavy reliance on medical masks made tight with a brace. The goal is to fit everyone with a mask which has a FFE (fitted filter efficiency) of 90%.

Extensive quantitative testing has shown that a surgical mask with a brace can equal an N95 mask. An N95 mask can achieve a 98% fitted filter efficiency. Billions of surgical masks are being produced. If the wearers also used the reusable brace they  could average 90% FFE. So 10% emission from the transmitter and 90% removal by the recipient means that he inhales only 1% of the virus. This 99% virus reduction is more protection than vaccines and would allow quick return to normal activity

 What sectors or stakeholders should BARDA engage as part of these efforts?

Answer:  Engagement should extend to associations, governments, fiber suppliers, media manufacturers, mask manufacturers, antimicrobial  suppliers, quality control consultants, suppliers of particulate measuring instrumentation, fit testers, and end user groups from fitness centers to schools. Meat processors and other industrial end users should also be involved.  McIlvaine has identified decision makers at many of these entities and is conveying their insights in the Alerts and in periodic webinars.

If there is an opportunity for sponsorship, is your organization interested in participating as a potential sponsor? If yes, what are the capabilities of your organization in support as a potential sponsor?

Coronavirus Mask Decisions covers all masks for public use.  It is presently a free service with Daily Alerts, webinars and an intelligence system with links to relevant papers. It can be accessed at http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/CATER/subscriber/default.htm

McIlvaine is willing to partner with BARDA in a range of ways. At a minimum it could include all data as directed by BARDA in the system.  At a maximum Coronavirus Mask Decisions could be become a government owned initiative with McIlvaine as  sub-contractor as directed.

Would your organization be interested in joining a list of experts that may provide mentorship to challenge winners?

Answer: Yes

Would your organization be interested in serving as a marketing partner and provide marketing and outreach as part of the challenge competition including posting on websites, social media, and other outlets.

Answer: Yes. McIlvaine has capabilities well beyond the those involving Coronavirus Mask Decisions. It has databases and reaches 100,000 people around the world who have air, water, and energy interests. A number of contracts have been executed with U.S. and other governments relative to environmental issues. Bob McIlvaine was hired by EPA to testify before senate sub committees relative to SO2 emissions and solutions. He was also a director for 25 years of the Institute of Clean Air Companies.

McIlvaine works closely with associations. The feature article by McIlvaine in the upcoming issue of International Filtration News is on masks. This publication is owned by INDA (association of non-woven manufacturers). McIlvaine writes feature articles each month for more than seven publications.  In addition it has more than 50 of its own publications.

i Main stream media including local news outlets

White papers: Sri has been quoted in a number of main stream publications relative to the benefits of efficient masks. However, some of these articles include contradictory comments or ones that are misleading.  A series of whitepapers could be made available to the media along with contacts who could be interviewed relative to the contents. For example one big question is the availability of enough media. A white paper coming from INDA on this subject with contacts for journalists would be very helpful.

Coordination with important journalists: Sri has important contacts as do others in the webinar.  McIlvaine has a long relationship supplying environmental assessments to Keith Bradsher, Shanghai Bureau Chief of the NY Times. This resulted in a long article on Chinese meltblown capacity in the NY Times a few months ago. But McIlvaine has not had success with the U.S. journalists.

ii Role of association and occupational media including business and medical

The white papers on specific subjects will be of interest to the business and medical media. The role of international associations such as EDANA are also important. Masks need to be viewed as one of the air cleaning tools and should be considered by the Institute of Clean Air Companies, American Filtration Society, Waterloo Filtration Institute and others.

iii Suppliers from the large validators such as SGS and Eurofin to media suppliers to mask manufacturers

Coordination among suppliers to provide  a consistent and powerful message will be beneficial.  Companies can be promoting their own products as part of the solution. The awareness blitz should be aimed at specific groups such as meat processors, schools, hotels etc.  McIlvaine has email contacts at certain of these groups. A webinar for meat processors featuring presentations by a number of suppliers will be advantageous

iv CATER Mask Decisions

As proposed to BARDA above Cater Mask Decisions can be a free analytical tool. There is an intelligence system with summaries of articles as well as the daily alerts and webinars. There are two search engines.

b. Message

i Push - the need to mandate use of efficient masks

Erick Couch is charting a course for public acceptance of more efficient masks using the ASTM label as a major selection criterion.

Eric  believes a power point presentation which is viewed at http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/images/Roadmap_to_High_Performance_Masks-BCTF.pdf

provides a  meaningful depiction that can be comprehended by the general public...illustrated ranges with indicators for performance of N95s, cloth face.

ASTM  – Respected Industrial Standard Body

Essence:

Allows use of widely available materials that provide high performance filtration without impacting N95 supply to frontline responders.

New and Existing Mask Fabricators Can Scale Supply within 6 Weeks

Performance Measures

Sub-micron Particle Filtration (i.e. 95%)

Breathability

Inward Leakage Assessment

Eliminates Lengthy Testing / Approval Process

Chaired by CDC Deputy Director Jonathan Szalajda

Impact: Immediately contrasts surgical and cottage industry non-sealing masks with a high performing masks made to measurable standard.

•       Jan 4 Vote            Jan 12 Special Meeting           Feb 12 Release

NOTE: Establishes measurement method, defines ranges.

Exact performance of a point design can vary within the range.

Erick shared the following thoughts  “I have had to emphasize with both Biden’s team as well as the Aerosol Experts that in fact the standard is a “Measurement Framework” that provides “ranges” (20-50, 50-100). It does not specify performance levels needed for any use case. 

“We should adopt a different way of referring to the ASTM standard going forward.:  ASTM @ Filtration XX, Breathability YY, and FIT ZZ . Why is this important ?  

“There is already too much confusion regarding mask assertions. The public message needs to be concise, consistent, and comprehensible by the general public. Social science research has found that more than three elements that require choice results in confusion. 

In Europe there are tough ‘push” initiatives with the requirement of N95 equivalent masks in Germany, Austria, and France

ii Pull - the advantage of using pull or incentives

1.      the safe bubble with the promise of full occupancy within the bubble

We have identified SGS, Eurofins, MPR, Mann-Hummel, Daikin, Johnson Controls, Ahlstrom, Camfil, 3M, Honeywell, Cummins, Lydall, Berry, and dozens of other companies who are capable of quickly implementing the Pull portion of the Push-Pull system.

ASTM labels and European Community mask initiatives along with local and country regulations provide the “push”.  Part of the push program is to limit occupancy of buildings. If you limit occupancy to 25% whereas average occupancy is 50% you have reduced the COVID risk by half. The “pull” part of the program is to offer validation for the actual risk and  alternative methods to reduce the risk to much lower percentages.

In earlier Alerts we pointed out that most facilities have many reasons to make visitors or employees feel as safe as possible. If the risk is reduced to the equivalent of 10% occupancy it is five times lower than required.

The products and services are available to implement the “pull” initiative immediately. The challenge will be to create a rating system to reflect the increased safety. 

Eurofins has already done this for community masks. We discussed their initiative on January 20.  Here is their tested quality seal. Note that by validating fit and comfort they are making qualitative judgements. A validation of risk reduction compared to 25% occupancy involves a lesser qualitative component than one on comfort.

One company with a number of applicable products and services is SGS. One is a mobile monitoring laboratory

“SGS is adding to our comprehensive COVID-19 Recovery Assistance Services by coming directly to your location with our team, analytical expertise and rental offerings. Our mobile laboratory and field-deployable testing and analytical equipment are now available for SARS-CoV-2 detection in air and on surfaces.

SGS now offers near real-time Reverse Transcriptase Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) data in air and on surface swab sampling with our new mobile laboratory or RT-qPCR instrument and analyst options. The ability to provide near-real-time SARS-CoV-2 presence data using gold-standard RT-qPCR, eliminates the 2-3-day turnaround time that was needed to ship samples to the lab and wait for results, a major step in speeding reaction to possible COVID events. The service supports analysis of air monitoring using Teflon air filters and swab testing for cleaning verification.”

LuxuryRes, in collaboration with SGS, has developed and launched a new Hygiene Monitored (HM) program to help hotels address the spread of COVID-19. Here is how the user explains the benefits.

“With a focus on selling, managing, and marketing hotel properties with the use of its own reservation and management technology, LuxuryRes will now be able to provide cleaning audits via both self and remote assessment as a result of the HM program.

Hotels that successfully pass their audits will be able to display the HM Mark, which not only verifies their enhanced hygiene practices, but also makes booking easier for business travelers, as the HM mark enables them to compare the hygiene levels of inspected hotels.

The HM program comes at a time when cleaning and safety standards for travelers have become the most important deciding factor for corporations reviewing their business travel programs in response to COVID-19. Hotels will be able to use the HM program to validate the thoroughness of their cleaning procedures and increase hotel occupancy. The program includes a dedicated addendum covering compliance with WHO guidelines, which will help hotels to demonstrate their commitment to mitigating the spread of the virus.”

Note the claim is to “validate thoroughness of cleaning and increase hotel occupancy” So this is highly qualitative and clearly shows the desire of the user to do something better than the minimum.

SGS also has related services for building owners including

Outbreak Detection

• Emergency protocols activation
• Crisis steering committee
• Risk communication (internal and external) activation
• Initial pathogens monitoring and baseline definition

With the pull approach, safe bubbles are created and certified.  Those who achieve the certification can operate at full capacity.  There is also the competitive pull.  The hotel, restaurant, or theater which is viewed as safest will have a competitive advantage

iii Criteria

1.      general and absolute

These criteria can include media penetration, breathability and fit. The requirement to wear a masks or to keep social distancing of six feet are in this category. The requirement to use a mask meeting the ASTM  20 or 50 standard is also absolute

2.      relative risk reduction as proposed by Mcilvaine

Mask risk is established in a five stage sequence where steps 4 and 5 become very flexible. Mask quality has to be addressed starting with manufacturing and ending with the final fit inspection.

A very useful criterion will be the relative risk. If the law sets a relative risk factor equivalent to 25% occupancy by individuals in cloth masks then alternatives can be evaluated compared to this risk level.

If everyone (transmitters and recipients) were wearing CATER 95 masks the net viral reduction would be 99%. Because the virus can no longer move from the transmitter to a surface the overall risk is decreased by 98%. The most efficient vaccine is only 95%. CATER masks can quickly be made available. Facilities adopting the CATER 95 Protocol could immediately open.

Industrial companies, corporate offices, retailers, gyms and any facility where the access is limited to CATER mask wearers should be able to operate normally. Each employee or visitor would have to wear an approved mask.

The CATER 95 is more than 90 times more effective than the typical mask now being worn. It is more than 70 times more effective than the proposed ASTM 20 mask. A facility which is 100% open with everyone wearing a CATER 95 mask will be 25 times safer than a facility which is only 25% open but allows any type of mask to be worn.

So a safe bubble with 100% occupancy but with everyone wearing CATER 95 masks could be certified to be as safe as required by the 25%/cloth mask risk level.

iv Product availability

1.      media

It is  a common belief that there is not enough efficient media available. If we use procedural masks with braces, this is not the case.

2.      masks

The availability of sufficient masks needs to be communicated. The variety of acceptable mask styles and the reuse are important aspects.

3.      timing

Determination has to be made and communicated as to how rapidly everyone can be supplied with suitable masks.

4.      geographies

Communication initially can be directed at the U.S. followed by Europe and then the rest of the developed world. As soon as possible it is also important to communicate with the poorer countries. New variants will be arriving in the developed world from the developing world unless  the virus is eliminated everywhere.

Click here to register for the February 5 webinar:

 https://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php?option=com_rsform&view=rsform&formId=92

RDI Medical has High Speed Mask Making Machinery

RDI Medical, a subsidiary of U.S. based company The RDI Group, has focused on mask production ever since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Having over a century of previous experience in machine manufacturing and automation, RDI Medical wasted no time in producing these machines to supply the world with this critical protective equipment.

RDI Medical has been designing and building high-speed machines capable of producing masks ranging from 1-ply to 4-ply, with printed logos for businesses who want to incorporate their brand. For businesses starting out in mask production, RDI Medical helps specify raw materials and recommendations to provide a buying experience unmatched by other mask machine manufacturers.

Curtis Maas, chairman and CEO of The RDI Group, says: “The RDI Group supplies production systems and technology to the best manufacturers in the world—entering this PPE market for engineered mask production was a logical decision for us.”

Capable of producing up to 200 masks per minute, the face mask machinery produced by RDI Medical provides manufacturers with standard and customized equipment to keep up with the high demand for face masks.

The RDI Group has over 100 years of established engineering and automation experience and applied their knowledge to the design and manufacturing of this mask making equipment.

Additionally, RDI Medical is also offering high performance and high-quality face masks for commercial and institutional businesses as well as wholesalers.

China Reports COVID Outbreak At Chicken Processing Plant

China reported its first cluster of COVID-19 cases among workers in a meat processing plant, raising fears among local consumers who have until now mainly worried about the safety of imported foods.

Ten confirmed cases were found in a factory which slaughters 50 million chickens a year in the northeastern city of Harbin and is owned by Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand, one of the world’s top poultry producers.

Another 28 workers at the plant and three family members were asymptomatic, officials told a news briefing on Thursday.

While China repeatedly pointed to imported frozen meat and fish as the source of coronavirus cases last year, it has not reported significant clusters in its own food processing sector.

Meatpacking workers in the United States, Brazil and across Europe were among the groups hit hardest by COVID-19 last year, with thousands of slaughterhouse staff infected.

The cluster in the C.P. plant was detected as part of routine screening of people in the region, which has seen a surge in cases in recent weeks.

Samples taken from inside the slaughterhouse, its cold storage area and the outside of product packaging during inspections earlier this week had also been found positive for the virus, city officials said.

The factory could not be reached for comment on the outbreak. Officials at the company headquarters in Bangkok made no immediate comment.