Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
Honor System for Unvaccinated Mask Wear is
Concerning
CDC Mishandled
Announcement of
New Mask
Guidelines
Twenty-five
Percent of the
Population will
not be
Vaccinated
World will Not
Be Safe Until
COVID Vanquished
Everywhere
Masks will be
Used in the Flu
Season Going
Forward
Masks will
Continue to be a
Big Revenue
Producer
Indian HVAC Air Filter Demands are Huge
HVAC Air Filter Market has Lots of Important
Niches|
How Much Air Filter Does a Home Really Need?
__________________________________________________________________________
Honor System
for Unvaccinated
Mask Wear is
Concerning
Without
verification
systems, parts
of the country
are now having
to rely on an
honor system to
ensure
unvaccinated
Americans are
masking up -- a
system that some
say, does not
work.
"I say this
respectfully to
the CDC but we
really need to
get back to a
point where it's
encouraging
(people) to get
vaccinated and
more of that
focus rather
than celebrating
our newfound
freedoms," the
mayor of Kansas
City, Missouri,
told CNN on
Monday. "Because
the honor system
just ain't
working here, I
don't think it's
going to work in
a lot of parts
in this
country," Mayor
Quinton Lucas
said.
Now, the mayor
said, local
officials are
worried about
how to move
forward.
"It creates
these sort of
challenges
where, how does
the store clerk
check it? How
does our health
department
actually enforce
any rule at all?
So, while I
respect many of
the
jurisdictions
that are trying
to, I think,
really have
adherence to the
CDC (guidance),
it's a challenge
for us," the
mayor said.
While Maryland
Gov. Larry
Hogan announced
the end of the
statewide mask
mandate last
week, Baltimore
City health
officials
announced a
local mandate
would remain in
place until at
least 65% of
adults in
Baltimore have
received at
least one
Covid-19 vaccine
dose.
In New Jersey,
Gov. Phil
Murphy signed an
order Monday
eliminating a
mask requirement
for outdoor
public spaces
but kept a
masking
requirement for
indoor public
spaces and
workplaces.
"Outdoor
environments
pose a lesser
risk of
transmission of
the virus than
indoor settings
and lifting the
indoor mask
mandate at this
time could lead
to a rise in
transmission
among those not
yet fully
vaccinated,
including
children who are
either not yet
eligible or who
have just
recently become
eligible,"
Murphy said in a
statement.
CDC Mishandled
Announcement of
New Mask
Guidelines
"As we
approach our
vaccination
target in the
coming weeks, we
expect to be
able to safely
lift the indoor
mask requirement
soon,"
says Dr.
Sanjay Gupta
California
also plans to
keep its mask
mandate for
indoor
activities in
place for
another month,
officials said.
The state's face
covering rule
will be dropped
for fully
vaccinated
residents on
June 15, Health
and Human
Services
Secretary Dr.
Mark Ghaly
announced
Monday.
"This four
week period will
give
Californians
time to prepare
for this change,
while we
continue the
relentless focus
on delivering
vaccines,
particularly to
underserved
communities and
those that were
hard hit
throughout this
pandemic," Ghaly
said.
So far,
roughly 47.5% of
the US
population has
received at
least one
Covid-19 vaccine
dose and about
37.3% of the
country is fully
vaccinated,
CDC data shows.
Twenty-five
Percent of the
Population will
not be
Vaccinated
One expert
said she expects
roughly 20-25%
of Americans
will not get a
vaccine but says
she hasn't given
up hope for all
the people who
haven't yet
gotten a shot.
"There's still
a ground game
that is being
played, it's
about going door
to door, it's
about getting
trusted
community
leaders,"
emergency
physician Dr.
Megan Ranney
said Monday. For
example, she
said that if
people are
directly offered
a vaccine, they
will often agree
to get the shot.
"If we do
that, we will
get a
significant
percentage of
those folks who
have not yet
been
vaccinated," she
added.
The CDC is
also asking
businesses to
help support
workers to get
vaccinated,
Director Dr.
Rochelle
Walensky told
CNN earlier this
week.
"We are really
asking the
businesses to
work with their
workers to make
sure that they
have the paid
time off to get
themselves
vaccinated so
they can be
safe," Walensky
said.
World will Not Be Safe Until
COVID Vanquished
Everywhere
President Joe
Biden
said Monday his
administration
would share
millions more
doses of
Covid-19
vaccines with
other countries
-- in addition
to the 60
million doses of
the AstraZeneca
vaccine he has
already
committed to
sharing by July
4.
The President
said that the US
would share at
least 20 million
doses of
Covid-19
vaccines by the
end of next
month, totaling
80 million doses
that are set to
be sent abroad.
The additional
20 million doses
will include
Moderna, Pfizer
and Johnson &
Johnson vaccines
as well as
AstraZeneca,
which has to be
approved by
federal
regulators
before being
shipped
overseas. That
effort is
underway.
"What they've
announced today
is really
important," Dr.
Tom Frieden, a
former CDC
director, told
CNN on Monday.
"This pandemic
will not be over
for the US until
it's over
globally."
Biden also
said that
Monday's
announcement was
the latest
effort by his
administration
to ramp up
efforts abroad
and work with
other world
leaders to end
the pandemic and
said he expected
to announce
progress on
beating the
pandemic
overseas at the
G7 summit in
June.
Masks will be Used in the Flu
Season Going
Forward
The flu
season generally
peaks between
December and
February each
year, bringing
up to 45 million
illnesses,
810,000
hospitalizations
and 61,000
deaths,
according to the
Centers for
Disease Control
and Prevention
(CDC). This
year, however,
as of Feb. 5,
there have been
only 1,455 cases
in the U.S.
“Though
caused by a
different virus
from the one
that causes
COVID-19, the
flu is also a
respiratory
viral disease,
so everything we
are doing to
slow
transmission of
COVID-19 should
also reduce
transmission of
flu,” says Eli
Klein, an
associate
professor of
emergency
medicine at the
Johns Hopkins
University
School of
Medicine
By Jan. 31,
there had been
only six cases
of flu diagnosed
this season at
Johns Hopkins
hospitals,
including The
Johns Hopkins
Hospital, Johns
Hopkins Bayview
Medical Center,
Howard County
General
Hospital, Sibley
Memorial
Hospital,
Suburban
Hospital and
Johns Hopkins
All Children’s
Hospital. Those
hospitals saw
4,805 cases in
the 2019–20
season, and
2,846 in the
2018–19 season.
(Because the
flu season
typically runs
from Oct. 15 to
May 15, there’s
still a chance
that flu cases
will pick up in
the next few
months. Also,
one strain of
flu — influenza
B — tends to
circulate later
in the season.)
Vaccinations
have also helped
prevent
infection. More
Americans
received the flu
vaccine this
season than in
the previous
four flu
seasons,
according to the
CDC. By the end
of January 2021,
193.2 million
people had been
vaccinated,
compared with
173.3 million at
that time last
year.
At Johns
Hopkins
Medicine, which
includes the
Johns Hopkins
University
School of
Medicine and the
Johns Hopkins
Health System,
the flu vaccine
is mandatory for
all personnel,
unless they have
approved medical
or religious
exemptions.
Cases of
other
respiratory
viruses besides
influenza are
down as well;
the health
system diagnosed
only six
positive cases
of respiratory
syncytial virus
(RSV) by the end
of January. By
this time in the
previous two
years, Johns
Hopkins
clinicians had
already seen
hundreds of RSV
cases.
Masks will Continue
to be a Big
Revenue Producer
Mask use in the
U.S. and
countries with
high vaccinated
percentages will
be reduced but
the worldwide
market will be
robust for many
years to come.
Wearing a mask has
negative life
quality impacts
depending on the
length of use.
If you wear a
mask 200 hours
per year it is
only 10% of the
life quality
reduction from
wearing it all
year long.
If you wear the
mask on the
subway when you
are not
conversing with
others there is
no communication
life quality
reduction. The
flu surge is in
the winter. So
discomfort from
heat is not a
factor. On a
cold day, the
mask may be a
plus as every
skier knows.
Therefore mask
discomfort can
be minimized by
the length of
time it is worn
and the setting.
The mask life
quality benefits
include
reduction in
sickness and
death. Most mask
wearers will
also view
avoidance of
infection of
others as a life
quality benefit.
This includes
not only family,
friends, and
co-workers but
also strangers.
Most but not all
people want to
be good
citizens. They
want the
approval of
others.
Therefore when
they have this
approval it is a
life quality
benefit. Many
people just want
to meet their
own high
standards of
being good
citizens.
Let’s take a
grocery store
setting at a
time when 60% of
the people are
not fully
vaccinated but
masks are not
mandated. Most
unvaccinated
people will want
to follow the
honor system and
wear a
mask. Others
will not. These
are life quality
choices which in
general need to
be left to
people unless
there is
substantial
public risk.
Substantial public
risk is a
nebulous term.
It meant a 55
mph speed limit
at one point.
but then it was
changed in many
locations to 65
mph. Just
traveling in an
automobile
statistically
shortens an 85
year life by a
few months. So
we continuously
balance life
quality benefits
against losses.
The average person
is infectious
with colds, flu
etc. for 14 days
per year. So
mask wearing by
these
individuals will
likely be
customary. In
the U.S. this
will result in
30 billion hours
of use per year.
At $ 0.01 mask
cost per hour
mask revenues
just for these
sick individuals
will be $300
million per
year.
Twenty-five million
people will
elect not to be
vaccinated. Twenty
million of those
people are
likely to follow
the honor system
when in public
places. Assuming
that the average
mask use is 400
hours per year
for 20 million
people, there
will be 8
billion hours of
mask wearing or
an annual market
of $80 million.
McIlvaine believes
that the retail
and leisure
service market
will be larger
than other
markets and that
workers in meat
processing and
other industries
where product
quality can be
impacted by
masks will also
continue mask
use.
The market for
those with
medical
conditions or
allergies will
continue to be
strong. Wildfires,
dust storms and
air pollution
will continue to
generate
significant mask
revenues.
The U.S. market
will be dwarfed
by other
worldwide
markets the
immediate need
in India is just
one example
The world mask
market is
forecasted in
detail and
continually
revised. Details
are found at
http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php/markets/air/n7f-masks-respirators-world-markets
Indian HVAC Air Filter Demands are Huge
India’s total
virus cases
since the
pandemic began
swept past 25
million on
Tuesday as the
country
registered more
than 260,000 new
cases and a
record 4,329
fatalities in
the past 24
hours.
The numbers
continue a trend
of falling cases
after infections
dipped below
300,000 for the
first time in
weeks on Monday.
Active cases in
the country also
decreased by
more than
165,000 on
Tuesday — the
biggest dip in
weeks.
But deaths have
continued to
rise and
hospitals are
still swamped by
patients.
India has
recorded nearly
280,000 virus
deaths since the
pandemic began.
Experts warn
that both the
number of deaths
and total
reported cases
are likely vast
undercounts.
The pandemic is creating additional
challenges for
air filter
suppliers
addressing the
Indian market. A
large number of
office
complexes,
shopping malls,
metro stations,
and airports are
being built
across the
country. As all
such spaces are
mandated to have
HVAC equipment,
the demand for
such systems
will continue
increasing from
commercial
users.
HVAC Air Filter Market has Lots of
Important Niches|
Market forecasts can be based on comprehensive analyses of what
types of
products will be
preferred for
each narrow
niche. Obtaining
agreement on the
classification
of these niches
is challenging.
McIlvaine
has elected to
use the North
American
Industrial
Classification
System
(NAICS)
for the
industrial
niches.
A substantial portion of the HVAC filter revenues come from the
manufacturing
sector. It
therefore is
desirable to
segment the
needs
(opportunities)
precisely.
McIlvaine starts
with the
manufacturing
classifications
which are 31 to
33.
311 is
dry product food
industries and
312 is liquid
products.
So
Breweries is
312120 whereas
wineries ends in
30 and
distilleries in
40.
Due to Coronavirus surges in meat and poultry processing
worldwide, this
is an industry
needing HVAC
upgrades.
An additional reason is the impact of HVAC on the end product.
Shelf
life of pork in
some cases has
increased by 12
days due to
more, cleaner
and better
distributed air.
There are just under 5,000 plants in the U.S.
Many of
the plants are
part of
international
companies
headquartered in
the U.S.
How clean does the air have to be to protect people and product
in an animal
processing
plant?
What is
the capital and
maintenance cost
of various
efficiency
alternatives?
The answers may
be different in
a beef, pork or
poultry
processor. These
are the answers
sought by the
purchaser,
supplier and the
forecaster.
McIlvaine is reaching out to various publishers including
International
Filtration News
(IFN).
A feature
article by
McIlvaine on
HVAC will appear
in the next
issue of IFN.
IFN has many
good articles on
HVAC which will
help shape the
assessment of
choices.
One in
the last issue
was by 3M and
demonstrated
that their
filter is
effective in
removing
viruses.
https://www.filtnews.com/virus-filtration-performance-of-residential-hvac-filters/
The McIlvaine HVAC filter market report addresses the
organizational
challenge. More
details are
shown at
http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php/markets/air/air-filter-market-and-supplier-program
Bob McIlvaine can answer your questions at 847 226 2391 or
rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com
Bangladesh Covid
Case Count Rises
to Just Under
800,000
Bangladesh
reported 1,272
new confirmed
cases of
COVID-19 and 30
deaths from the
coronavirus on
Tuesday,
bringing the
total count to
782,129 with
12,211 deaths.
The Directorate
General of
Health Services
(DGHS) said that
16,855 samples
were tested in
the last 24
hours across
Bangladesh.
The total number
of recovered
patients in the
country stands
at 724,209
including 1,115
new recoveries,
said the DGHS.
According to the
official data,
the COVID-19
fatality rate in
Bangladesh is
currently 1.56
per cent and
recovery rate is
92.59 percent.
Bangladesh
recorded the
highest number
of daily cases
at 7,626 on
April 7 and that
of daily deaths
at 112 on April
19.
How Much Air Filter Does a Home Really Need?
How much
filtration does
a home need?
After the
pandemic, many
homeowners would
say, “As much as
we can get!” And
some businesses
are talking
about very
high-performance
filtration. But
is there such a
thing as too
much filtration
for a home
environment?
Home builder
PulteGroup Inc.
recently
announced a plan
to build
communities
across the
country with
numerous health
features. This
includes MERV 16
filters for all
the HVAC
systems. Pulte’s
press release
calls this
“hospital-grade
air filtration.”
The release said
the offerings
came about from
a survey that
found 60% of
respondents say
how a home can
support health
and wellness was
the most
important
attribute.
“As a direct
result of the
pandemic,
consumers are
seeking homes
that will help
them stay
healthy, and
Pulte Homes is
leading the
way,” said John
Chadwick,
PulteGroup’s
CEO, in the
release.
Tech mogul Elon
Musk talks about
going even
further. When he
floated the idea
of a Tesla HVAC
system last
fall, he said it
would include
HEPA filters.
Tesla has been
offering HEPA
filters as an
option on its
vehicles for
several years,
part of what the
company calls
its “bioweapon
defense mode.”
But higher
filtration comes
with its own
challenges.
High-performance
filters cost
more and may
need to be
changed more
often. If
installed
improperly, they
offer no more
protection than
lower
performance
filters. And
they can tax an
HVAC system.
For people
worried about
threats to their
health from a
virus,
allergens, or
pollutants, a
filter that
removes these
particles is
needed.
Traditionally,
filters did
little to remove
these, said
Kathleen Owen, a
member of
ASHRAE’s
epidemic
taskforce. Those
filters were
designed to keep
the coils clean
and the system
functioning.
Over the last
thirty years,
most home
filters have
been improved to
MERV 6-8 levels;
these will
remove some of
the particles
related to
health issues,
Owens said. With
COVID, though,
the
recommendation
is to increase
filtration
levels
significantly.
In some cases in
the past,
technicians
downgrade
filtration to
improve airflow,
said Tom
Piscitelli, vice
president of
distributed
markets for
SecureAire.
“A service
technician cares
about equipment
and doesn’t want
a callback,”
Piscitelli said.
He said HVAC
contractors need
to discuss the
trade-offs with
customers and
determine what
their higher
priority is —
filtration or
performance. A
fuller filter
will capture
more particles,
but it will
affect airflow.
Of course, a
dirty system
will also
decrease
airflow.
An HVAC
contractor could
set up a
maintenance plan
based on static
pressure
readings. A
technician can
take a reading
on the initial
visit and then
take another
during the
maintenance
contract visit
six months
later. If the
static pressure
is within a
certain range,
the technician
can sell the
homeowners a
filter and tell
them to replace
it in three
months. Some
newer HVAC
systems can even
measure static
pressure and
send a message
when the filter
needs
replacement.
“Air quality has
always suffered
because of air
pressure
concerns,”
Piscitelli said.
Consumers should
worry about the
effect of
increasing
pressure drop
across a filter
as may happen
with higher MERV
filters because
that means it
takes more to
push air through
the system. The
system will need
to run more to
cool or heat a
house, may use
more energy, and
could hurt the
fan. At the same
time, Owen said,
increasing
pressure drop
often means the
air will pass
through the
filter less
often and the
filter will
capture fewer
contaminants.
“If you’re not
running it,
you’re not
filtering,” she
said.
Higher
performance does
work, Owen said.
A MERV 13
filter, when
properly
installed, will
capture 85% of
viruses in a
single pass. The
more air
changes, the
more it
captures. This
clean air also
helps dilute the
virus in the air
we breathe.
However, the
virus comes from
people
“If we are near
to the infected
person, the
exposure is
going to occur
long before the
air has time to
get to the
filter,” Owen
said. “Your
filter may be
good, but it may
not do much for
what you’re
breathing,
because you’re
breathing so
close to the
source. Hence
the need for
distancing and
airflow into the
occupied space
for dilution.”
Pollen is
similar. Pollen
is usually 30 to
40 microns,
which seems
small, but is
actually so
large that it’s
rarely airborne
indoors where
the air velocity
is less than
outside on a
breezy day. It
enters a home on
shoes and
clothing.
Keeping pollen
out is likely to
work better than
an HVAC filter.
In-room air
cleaners near
the people will
also help
cleaning the air
near the people.
The real benefit
from high
performance air
filtration has
to do with
wildfires. Even
a MERV 15 filter
only captures up
to 75% of the
contaminants
from a wildfire
on the first
pass.
“Because it’s a
combustion
aerosol, a lot
of it is much
smaller, so you
really want a
better filter
for that,” Owen
said.
Wildfires seem
like more common
occurrences.
There were more
than 50,000
wildfires in the
United States
last year, an
all-time record
according to the
National
Interagency Fire
Center. That’s a
lot, but these
fires were
spread over a
fairly large
geographic area,
so the risk to
any individual
remains
relatively low.
Still, consumers
want to reduce
any risk.
High-filtration
is, at least for
now, a marketing
technique being
used by some
companies. HVAC
contractors need
to make sure a
system can
handle a higher
performance
filter and
explain to
consumers what
the trade-offs
may be in terms
of a system’s
overall
performance.
They will also
need to make
clear what a
filter can and
cannot do on its
own, and they
need to set up a
maintenance plan
that takes into
account the
effect of static
air pressure
from increased
filtration.
https://www.achrnews.com/articles/144812-how-much-filtration-does-a-home-really-need
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