Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
Double Masking
or Knotted
Surgical Masks
Reduce Exposure
95%
Bona Fide Mask
Expanding U.S.
KN95
Distribution
German
Chancellor Says,
“We Have Lost
Control of This
Thing.”
Armbrust
American
Expanding
Filter
Inserts and
Pediatric Masks
Kenosha,
Wisconsin
Schools Upgrade
to MERV 13
Brondell Air
Purifier
Captures and
Inactivates the
Virus
Nailor Supplying
Room Air
Purifiers to
HCSD in New York
___________________________________________________________________________
Double Masking
or Knotted
Surgical Masks
Reduce Exposure
95% CDC recently
conducted
experiments to
assess two ways
of improving the
fit of medical
procedure masks:
fitting a cloth
mask over a
medical
procedure mask
and knotting the
ear loops of a
medical
procedure mask
and then tucking
in and
flattening the
extra material
close to the
face. Each
modification
substantially
improved source
control and
reduced wearer
exposure. These
experiments
highlight the
importance of
good fit to
maximize mask
performance.
There are
multiple simple
ways to achieve
better fit of
masks to slow
the spread of
COVID-19 more
effectively.
Results from the
first experiment
demonstrated
that the
unknotted
medical
procedure mask
alone blocked
42.0% of the
particles from a
simulated cough
(standard
deviation
[SD] = 6.70),
and the cloth
mask alone
blocked 44.3%
The combination
of the cloth
mask covering
the medical
procedure mask
(double mask)
blocked 92.5% of
the cough
particles
In the second
experiment,
adding a cloth
mask over the
source
headform’s
medical
procedure mask
or knotting and
tucking the
medical
procedure mask
reduced the
cumulative
exposure of the
unmasked
receiver by
82.2% and 62.9%
respectively.
When the source
was unmasked and
the receiver was
fitted with the
double mask or
the knotted and
tucked medical
procedure mask,
the receiver’s
cumulative
exposure was
reduced by 83.0%
and 64.5%),
respectively.
When the source
and receiver
were both fitted
with double
masks or knotted
and tucked
masks, the
cumulative
exposure of the
receiver was
reduced 96.4%)
and 95.9%,
respectively.
The full paper
is displayed at
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7007e1.htm#contribAff
Bona Fide Mask
Expanding U.S.
KN95
Distribution
Bona Fide
Masks™, part of
the Ball Chain
Mfg. Co., Inc.
family of
companies, today
confirmed that
Guangzhou
Powecom Labor
Insurance
Supplies Co.,
Ltd. (Powecom)
will make more
of its FDA
authorized KN95
expressly for
Bona Fide Masks,
Powecom's
premier
authorized U.S.
distributor.
Bona Fide Masks
claims
a
distinguished
reputation for
trustworthiness,
providing its
customers
outstanding
quality, service
and delivery.
Jing Yip,
Powecom's
Marketing and
Export Officer,
states, "'We are
increasing KN95
production for
our most
important U.S.
partner, Bona
Fide Masks. Even
during the
Chinese New
Year, we will
produce and ship
masks expressly
for Bona Fide
Masks. We are
proud to address
U.S. market
needs with this
unprecedented
production
increase, and we
highly
recommend www.bonafidemasks.com for
purchases of
authentic Powecom
KN95s."
Bill Taubner,
President of
Ball Chain Mfg.
Co, Inc. and
Bona Fide Masks,
said, "Supply
chain integrity
is one of our
highest
priorities. We
will continue to
purchase
directly from
Powecom. Powecom
masks are of
exceptionally
high quality and
are currently
authorized by
the FDA for use
in healthcare
settings by
healthcare
professionals
during the
COVID-19
outbreak, in
accordance with
CDC
recommendations.
We ship from
stock at
our Mount
Vernon, New
York warehouse.
There's so much
confusion in the
marketplace, and
there are so
many ‘bad
actors' taking
advantage of
those in need.
Our company is
proud to support
our customers
during these
trying times."
German
Chancellor Says,
“We Have Lost
Control of This
Thing.”
But when cases
started to rise
in the fall,
policymakers
failed to repeat
the trick.
During the first
week of October,
the caseload was
as high as it
had been when
the first
lockdown had
been imposed in
March. But many
explained the
rise by pointing
to the increased
number of tests,
ignoring the
clear trend of
cases upward.
Nothing was
done.
In the following
weeks, the virus
took full
advantage of
Germany’s
complacency. By
the end of
October, the
number of daily
cases had more
than tripled.
The response was
halfhearted:
closing
restaurants and
bars but leaving
schools open — a
“lockdown
light”
that, for a
time, stabilized
the situation.
It wasn’t until just
before Christmas,
at which point
cases were
rising sharply,
that politicians
hit the
emergency brake
and closed down
the country.
The decision
came so late
that by early
January, some
intensive care
units were nearly
overwhelmed.
Daily deaths
were at times
quadruple their
highest point in
the first wave.
In the first
half of January,
the number of
deaths per
100,000
inhabitants temporarily
exceeded that
in the United
States. The
elderly were
devastated:
Roughly 90
percent of those
who died in the
second wave were
70 or older.
For a country
that had been
widely hailed
for its
successful
handling of the
pandemic, it was
a shocking
reversal. Why
did this happen?
The short
answer:
politics. In
2021, Germany
will hold six
state elections
plus the
national
parliamentary
election in
September. If
ever there was a
time to take
political risks
— and there’s
little riskier
than depriving
weary citizens
of their
freedoms for
uncertain gain —
the middle of a
major election
year is not it.
Last spring,
electoral
calculus was
briefly
suspended by the
all-encompassing
threat of the
virus. That’s no
longer the case.
Though the
pandemic is far
from over, now
is a time for
sharpening
individual
political
profiles instead
of compromising,
for catering to
local
constituents’
special
interests
instead of
focusing on the
national common
good. Political
considerations
are back.
Those have
played out in
conflicts among
the 16 regional
governors and
also in tensions
between the
governors and
the chancellor.
One reason for
the country’s
slow
reintroduction
of restrictions
was that the
regional heads
felt Ms. Merkel
was pushing too
hard, aiming at
a show of power.
The troubled
vaccination
rollout has
poured fuel on
the fire. As
part of the
European Union —
which was slow
to agree on a
contract with
suppliers and
late to begin
the rollout —
Germany has
struggled to
vaccinate its
citizens:
Currently only 4
percent have
had a vaccine.
And when
AstraZeneca, one
of the
manufacturers,
announced in
January that it
would cut its
supply to the
bloc, political
war broke out.
States, the
parties in the
governing
coalition and
the minister of
health all
frantically
blamed each
other — or Ms.
Merkel and
Brussels.
Germans were
left desperately
trying to get
hold of a
vaccination
appointment for
their elderly
kin.
After the
failures of the
past few months,
Germany is in
for a marathon.
To bring the
finish line
closer, a
different
approach is
gaining
traction: A
group of experts
is currently
promoting a
strategy of “No
Covid,”
where lockdowns
won’t be lifted
until there are
fewer than 10
cases per
100,000
inhabitants a
week.
It would require
sacrifices, but
such a strategy
could stop the
country from
stumbling from
one lockdown to
the next through
this election
year. Yet it
would take
courage to
prolong
restrictions
until cases
reached a
sufficiently low
level. The
decision on
Wednesday to
extend the
lockdown
suggests
Germany’s
politicians
might be able to
act bravely.
But as
campaigning gets
underway, will
they hold their
nerve?
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/opinion/germany-covid-second-wave.html
Armbrust
American
Expanding
Filter
Inserts and
Pediatric Masks
.
"The science is
clear. The best
way to get this
pandemic under
control is for
everyone to
start wearing
better masks
that are
actually rated
to block
particulates as
small as the
coronavirus,"
said Founder and
CEO Lloyd
Armbrust.
"Especially with
the CDC
advocating for
children to
return to school
in person,
manufacturing a
mask option for
kids that has a
better fit as
well as an
option for those
who use cloth
masks with
filter inserts
are two big ways
we can help get
everyone
properly
protected."
Made from N95
meltblown
materials, Armbrust
American's new KidSafe
Pediatric
Masks are sized
for children and
those with
smaller faces.
KidSafe masks
are
also FDA-listed,
third-party lab
tested at 99%
filtration, and
available in
signature
American Denim
Blue as well as
Pink.
Additionally,
PM 2.5+
Electrostatic
Filter
Inserts are a
important
addition for
reusable face
coverings. The
Filter
Inserts utilize
proprietary Electrostatic
Armor
Meltblown filter
material, able
to block most
particulate
matter 0.1
microns in size.
Plus, they have
25x better
filtration than
Chinese-made PM
2.5 inserts,
while also being
thinner and
using less
material.
Ford Developing
Clear Respirator
Testing for the
transparent
respirators to
prove
effectiveness is
underway and
continuing
through the
winter, with
Ford expecting
availability
sometime in the
spring.
“One of the
things that’s
missing during
the pandemic is
the power of a
smile,” Ford VP,
enterprise
product line
management and
leader of the
company’s
Project Apollo
PPE
manufacturing
effort Jim
Baumbick said in
the release.
“This clear
respirator
promises to
improve
interactions
between
neighbors, at
the store and
for those who
have hearing
impairments.”
The company
increased its
total mask
donation
commitment to
120 million
masks, an
increase from
100 million, for
communities and
organizations
with limited
access to PPE.
Poor
Infrastructure
Causes N95
Stockpiling
A year into the
pandemic, the
disposable,
virus-filtering
N95 mask remains
a coveted piece
of protective
gear. Continuing
shortages have
forced doctors
and nurses to
reuse their
N95s, and
ordinary
Americans have
scoured the
internet —
mostly in vain —
to get them.
But the New
York Times
reports Luis
Arguello Jr. has
plenty of N95s
for sale — 30
million of them,
in fact, which
his family-run
business, DemeTech,
manufactured in
its factories in
Miami. He simply
can’t find
buyers.
After the
pandemic exposed
a huge need for
protective
equipment, and
China closed its
inventory to the
world, DemeTech,
a medical suture
maker, dived
into the mask
business. The
company invested
tens of millions
of dollars in
new machinery
and then
navigated a
nine-month federal
approval process that
allows the masks
to be marketed.
But demand is so
slack that Mr.
Arguello is
preparing to lay
off some of the
1,300 workers he
had hired to
ramp up
production.
“It’s insane
that we can’t
get these masks
to the people
who desperately
need them,” he
said.
In one of the
more confounding
disconnects
between the laws
of supply and
demand, many of
the nearly two
dozen small
American
companies that
recently jumped
into the
business of
making N95s are
facing the abyss
— unable to
crack the
market, despite
vows from both
former President
Donald Trump and
President Biden
to “Buy
American” and
buoy domestic
production of
essential
medical gear.
These businesses
must overcome
the ingrained
purchasing
habits of
hospital
systems, medical
supply
distributors and
state
governments.
Many buyers are
loath to try the
new crop of
American-made
masks, which are
often a bit more
expensive than
those produced
in China.
Another obstacle
comes from
companies like
Facebook and
Google, which
banned the sale
and advertising
of N95 masks in
an effort to
thwart
profiteers from
diverting vital
medical gear
needed by
frontline
medical workers.
What’s required,
public health
experts and
industry
executives say,
is an ambitious
strategy that
includes federal
loans, subsidies
and government
purchasing
directives to
ensure the
long-term
viability of a
domestic
industry vital
to the national
interest.
The government
needs to call
the outsourcing
of America’s
mask supply what
it is: a
national
security
problem,” said
Mike Bowen, the
owner of Prestige
Ameritech,
a Texas mask
producer, who
has testified
before Congress
about the need
to support domestic
manufacturers.
Drawing on his
experiences
during the swine
flu pandemic of
2009, he said
many of the
start-ups were
unlikely to
survive without
systemic change.
“We’ve seen this
movie before,”
said Mr. Bowen,
a 35-year
veteran of the
industry. “If
and when the
pandemic is
over, it’s going
to be a freaking
blood bath.”
Spurred in part
by the wartime
Defense
Production Act,
domestic
heavyweights
like 3M and
Honeywell have
ramped up
production of
N95 masks over
the past year,
but the 120
million masks
they churn out
each month in
the United
States cannot
satisfy the
health sector’s
annual need for
3.5 billion
N95s. Most of
the masks made
by the big
players are
funneled to
medical
distributors
supplying the
country’s large
hospital
systems.
Smaller
companies could
help fill the
gap. Together,
19 companies
that have
recently
received federal
certification produce
tens of millions
of masks a
month; Northwell
Health, a large
hospital chain,
has been using a
total of 300,000
masks a month in
its 23
hospitals.
Unlike his
predecessor, Mr.
Biden has made
face coverings a
key component of
his plan to
contain the
pandemic. In one
of his first
acts as
president, Mr.
Biden directed
federal agencies
to aggressively
use the D.P.A.
to boost
domestic
manufacturing of
personal
protective
equipment, and a
subsequent executive
order seeks
to encourage the
government
purchase of
domestically
made goods.
Still, none of
the half-dozen
start-ups
interviewed for
this article
said they had
been contacted
by federal
officials.
I’m encouraged
by the Biden
administration’s
initial steps,”
said Scott Paul,
president of
the Alliance
for American
Manufacturing,
an industry
group. “But the
federal
government
really needs to
step up its game
and provide
certainty to
American
companies that
answered the
national call to
action, not just
for this crisis,
but for those in
the future.”
Tim Manning, the
White House’s
Covid-19 supply
coordinator,
said the
administration
would announce a
number of new
D.P.A. contracts
for personal
protective
equipment in the
coming weeks,
but that the
larger
supply-chain
issues would
take longer to
address.
“One of our
priorities in
our pandemic
response is
doing this in a
way so we can
ensure the
industrial base
expansion that
has happened can
be sustained, so
we don’t end up
in the same
situation the
next time,” Mr.
Manning said in
an interview.
Companies like United
States Mask,
a start-up in
Fort Worth,
Texas, which
began producing
N95s in
November, may
not be able to
hold out much
longer. John
Bielamowicz, a
commercial real
estate broker
who started the
company with a
friend, David
Baillargeon, in
the early weeks
of the pandemic,
said he has been
frustrated by
the lack of
interest from
the hospital
chains,
long-term care
facilities and
local
governments that
buy in bulk.
Although the
company’s masks
have been
certified by the
National
Institute for
Occupational
Safety and
Health, a
division of the
Centers for
Disease Control
and Prevention,
Mr. Bielamowicz
says many buyers
are reluctant to
give unfamiliar
products a try.
Big hospitals
prefer to stick
with masks they
already use
because of the
time-consuming
need to fit-test
new models on
employees. But
many
cost-conscious
bulk buyers
prefer to
purchase cheaper
Chinese ones.
One of the more painful
rebuffs came
from Tarrant
County, where
Mr.
Bielamowicz’s
factory is
located. Last
month the county
disqualified his
company’s bid
because
officials wanted
to buy specific
Chinese-made
models. County
officials did
not respond to
requests for
comment.
“We got into
this business
because we were
troubled by
America’s
dependence on
foreign
manufacturing
and wanted to do
something about
it,” said Mr.
Bielamowicz,
whose masks sell
for $2.25 a
piece — a few
cents more than
those made in
China. “Are we
going to be left
to die on the
vine when we’re
making N95s at a
competitive
price?”
As they hold out
hope for
intervention
from Washington,
United States
Mask and other
N95 producers
said that the
ability to sell
to the public
through online
retailers like
Amazon would
help them stay
afloat.
Dr. Monica
Gandhi, an
infectious
disease
specialist at
the University
of California,
San Francisco,
said the vast
majority of
Americans who
have embraced
mask-wearing and
are concerned
about new
variants would
eagerly upgrade
to N95s
or other kinds
of
virus-filtering
masks if
they were
available.
“Right now,
high-filtration
masks are more
important than
ever,” she said.
The problem is
getting
consumers to
their retail
websites. At the
moment, anyone
trying to buy
N95 masks on
Google Shopping
or Facebook
Marketplace is
greeted with a
blank page; on
Amazon, a search
for N95s yields
a welter of
vendors hawking
KN95 masks, a
Chinese-made
equivalent that
researchers say
is less
effective. As of
Wednesday, the
site seemed to
be allowing a
handful of masks
described as
N95s, but not
all are listed
on the
N.I.O.S.H.
website. Another
included a
disclaimer
saying the masks
are not
recommended for
use against
Covid-19.
Google and Facebook said
they had no
immediate plans
to change their policies,
which are based
on guidance from
the C.D.C.
and the World
Health
Organization aimed
at ensuring
health care
workers have
adequate
protective gear.
Amazon did not
respond to
requests for
comment.
Lance Brown, the
chief executive
of Rhino
Medical Supply,
a distributor in
South Carolina,
has been
singularly
focused on
selling N95s
produced by the
new generation
of American
entrepreneurs.
Their masks, he
said, are
superior to most
of those made in
China, but his
appeals to
national pride
often fail to
move
institutional
buyers focused
on the bottom
line.
Mr. Brown has
also been
pushing for
online retailers
to reconsider
their sweeping
bans on N95
masks. The
problem, he
said, could be
easily fixed by
creating
exceptions for
masks certified
by the
government.
“How is it that
you can spread
conspiracy
theories on
Facebook, but we
can’t sell N95
masks to the
millions of
Americans who
need them right
now?” Mr. Brown
asked. “I can
understand
Facebook not
wanting to sell
masks made by
some guy in his
garage, but
these masks meet
strict
N.I.O.S.H.
guidelines.”
Mr. Bielamowicz,
for one, has
discovered the
benefits of a
little public
exposure. Last
month, as he and
his partner were
considering
whether to throw
in the towel, a
local newspaper
columnist wrote
about their
tribulations.
The company was
immediately
overwhelmed by
orders from
school nurses,
cancer patients
and essential
workers, many of
whom said they
had given up on
finding N95
masks.
Within three
days, the
company had sold
out its entire
stock of 250,000
masks.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/10/health/covid-masks-china-united-states.html
Kenosha,
Wisconsin
Schools Upgrade
to MERV 13
About 65 percent
of schools in
the district
have been
upgraded to MERV
13 filters with
a goal to
install them in
all remaining
buildings later
this month,
according to
district
Facilities
Director Patrick
Finnemore.
“We will have
what is
considered to be
the ideal filter
for COVID-19 in
all of our
schools by the
end of
February,”
Finnemore said
at the
district’s
facilities
committee
quarterly
meeting Tuesday
night.
In response to
the pandemic
last year, the
district
installed MERV
11 filters,
which catch 90
percent of
airborne
particles, an
upgrade from
previous filters
with 75 percent
efficacy. Last
fall, as the
second wave of
coronavirus
infections
surged,
Finnemore
ordered the even
better MERV 13s,
which trap 90
percent of
particles plus
airborne
viruses, in
accordance with
the standards
endorsed by the
U.S. Centers for
Disease Control
and Prevention.
Facilities crews
are also testing
the indoor air
quality of all
classrooms. That
testing started
last week and
will continue
for the next few
weeks. While not
mandated, the
crews have
conducted tests
annually during
what is
considered the
worst time of
the year for
indoor air
quality.
“The colder it
is, the worse
the air quality
is in space
because no one’s
going to open a
door. Obviously,
the windows are
closed,”
Finnemore said.
The test results
will be
available on the
district’s
website later in
the school year.
He anticipates
fewer people in
classrooms this
year will
contribute to
better air
quality.
“One of the
biggest
pollutants in
air quality is
carbon dioxide.
That’s an
inverse to how
much oxygen is
in a space,” he
said. “I think
the numbers
we’ll see this
year will
probably be a
little better
than a normal
year.”
As the pandemic
persists,
Finnemore said
he’s concerned
about the future
of hiring HVAC
specialists and
other facilities
positions. His
current
four-member crew
has an average
age of 60, with
several
approaching
retirement age.
And there are
two vacancies
that have not
been filled
since 2019.
“The vacancy’s
there because we
don’t pay
enough,” he
said. Of the
state’s largest
school
districts,
Unified’s pay is
at the bottom
for facilities
jobs. “If
there’s a crisis
in the
facilities
department, it’s
filling these
vacancies. So,
to me, this has
got to be a
priority.”
Should the
district
outsource
facilities
services, it
would pay market
rates, which
range from $150
to $175 per
hour, including
profit to
companies that
hire contract
workers,
compared with
the district’s
in-house wages
of $40 an hour,
Finnemore
said.District
Superintendent
Sue Sava
Brondell Air
Purifier
Captures and
Inactivates the
Virus
Brondell has
released the
Brondell Pro
Sanitizing Air
Purifier with
AG+™ Technology
from
Aurabeat—one of
the only
professional-grade,
standalone air
purifiers in the
U.S. certified
to capture and
eliminate ≥99.9
percent of
COVID-19 virus
particles. The
Brondell Pro is
FDA-registered
and classified
as a Class II
medical device.
Brondell’s air
purifier was
lab-tested by
MRIGlobal, an
independent,
not-for-profit
contract
research
organization and
an expert in
biosafety and
biorisk
management. Two
independent lab
tests concluded
that the
Brondell Pro
effectively
eliminates the
SARS CoV-2
virus.
Within 15
minutes, the
purifier reduces
the aerosol
particles from
over 2 million
particles per
liter of air to
zero. Unlike
traditional HEPA
filters that
hold the virus
without
eliminating it,
this unit uses
five layers of
protection to
disinfect the
air, break down
virus droplets
and eliminate
particles on the
filters that can
cause secondary
infection.
The Brondell Pro
uses a
high-efficiency
antiviral H12
HEPA-grade
filter with a
patent-pending
antiviral
formula proven
to eliminate
viruses,
bacteria and
mold, and to
sanitize without
disinfectants.
An ultraviolet
disinfection
lamp also
sanitizes the
air, the surface
of the filters
and the inside
of the unit to
prevent
secondary
infection when
moving the unit
or replacing the
filters.
Nailor Supplying
Room Air
Purifiers to
HCSD in New York
New
York's Harrison
Central School
District (HCSD)
announced they
awarded the
300-unit Mobile
Air Cleaner bid
to the Nailor
Industries, Inc.
MAC-700 Unit. As
a longtime
partner,
Technical Air
Systems, Inc.
based out
of Morristown,
New Jersey,
represented
Nailor
Industries, Inc.
during the bid
process.
Nailor focused
on safety,
mobility, noise,
performance, and
durability while
designing the
MAC-700. The
unit takes
advantage of
proven UV-C
light
technologies to
deactivate 99.9%
of viral
contaminants
prior to
reaching the
99.99% efficient
HEPA Filter.
Room air is
pulled from the
floor where
contaminants are
likely to
congregate, is
treated &
filtered, and
directed upward
and outward into
the space. With
this unique
bottom-up
airflow, the
completely
mobile MAC-700
can deliver up
to 700 CFM of
sterile air,
which translates
to over four air
changes per hour
for a typical
classroom.
"Through the
combined efforts
of the Nailor
product
engineers and
our sales team,
we were able to
present a
product that
surpassed any
and all
expectations,"
said Paul
Scheele,
President of
Technical Air
Systems,
Inc. "Without
any hesitations,
we immediately
recommended the
MAC-700 to the
Harrison Central
School
District."
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