Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
Vaccinated
Hawaiian
Developed a Mild
Case with Delta
Variant
India
Underestimated
the New Variant
U.S. COVID Death
Toll Exceeds
600,000
Nanofiber Mask
Media Shows
99.9% Efficiency
on Virus
Aegle Launches
N95 Mask
Production with
Authentication
and Traceability
Washington DC
Spends $24
Million
Upgrading School
Ventilation
Systems Daikin Introduces New Air Purifier
Vaccinated
Hawaiian
Developed a Mild
Case with Delta
Variant
The state
Department of
Health’s State
Laboratories
Division (SLD)
confirmed on
Monday, June 14,
that the COVID-19 variant
B.1.617.2, also
known as the
Delta variant,
has been
detected in an
Oahu resident
who recently
traveled to
Nevada in early
May.
The Delta
variant was also
reported in
Nevada in early
May.
The person was
fully vaccinated
prior to travel
and had a
negative
COVID-19 test
prior to
departing
Nevada.
DOH said the
person developed
mild symptoms
consistent with
COVID-19 several
days after
returning to
Hawaii and
tested positive
for coronavirus.
The individual
was isolated and
close contacts
were
quarantined.
There is no
evidence of
household
transmission or
secondary
cases.
“Fortunately,
this person did
isolate and
household
contacts
quarantined,”
explained Dr.
Sarah Kemble,
acting state
epidemiologist.
“It doesn’t
appear that any
further
transmission has
resulted from
this case.”
She said most of
the household
members were
vaccinated which
helped prevent
the virus from
spreading.
“We have an
example here of
why even though
vaccine is not
100% of the
time,” Dr.
Kemble added.
“It’s still
incredibly
important and
effective at
slowing the
spread of even
these novel
variants.”
The Delta
variant was
first detected
in India, where
the virus
sparked a public
health crisis in
April and May.
The variant now
makes up
approximately 6%
of all U.S.
cases.
“It’s a variant
of concern,
because in the
United Kingdom,
when the virus
was there,
originally in
small numbers,
it expanded and
has become now
the dominant
strain in
England,”
explained State
Laboratories
Division
Administrator
Edward Desmond.
“So this is one
of the reasons
why it’s a
variant of
concern that
tends to become
dominant, which
suggests that it
may be more
transmissible.”
“Early evidence
suggests the
Delta variant
might spread
more quickly
than other
SARS-CoV-2
strains,” said
Dr. Desmond.
“There are
reports the
Delta variant
produces a
higher rate of
severe illness
than original
COVID-19, but we
do not yet have
enough evidence
to support that
conclusion.”
The Centers for
Disease Control
and Prevention
categorizes the
Delta variant as
a variant of
concern.
“The vaccines
not only help
protect against
infection, but
they also
protect against
severe illness,”
said State
Health Director
Dr. Elizabeth
Char. “While
this is one of
those very rare
breakthrough
cases in which
the vaccine did
not prevent
infection, the
infected person
did not suffer
severe illness.”
The state will
allow vaccinated
residents to
return to Hawaii
and travel
inter-island
freely without
restrictions
starting
Tuesday, June
15.
Dr. Kemble said
she believes
that’s a safe
move, but is
wary about
mainland travel.
“Travel to and
from the
mainland is a
little more of a
concern because
there are some
pockets in the
United States
where vaccine
rates are much
lower,” she
added. “We do
see continued
importation of
variants from
some of those
states.”
A veteran public
health expert
warned top
Indian officials
in early March
that a new
variant of the
coronavirus was
spreading
quickly in a
rural district
in the heart of
the country and
that the
outbreak
required urgent
attention.
Federal health
authorities
failed to
respond
adequately to
that warning, Dr
Subhash Salunke,
who has 30 years
of experience in
public health in
India, Indonesia
and the United
States, told
Reuters.
The variant, now
known as
B.1.617,
triggered a
catastrophic
wave of
coronavirus
cases in India
and has since
spread to more
than 40 other
countries. In
May, the World
Health
Organization
(WHO) termed it
a "variant of
concern," citing
its high
transmissibility.
The variant's
first impact was
detected months
earlier in the
Amravati
district of the
western state of
Maharashtra,
where health
authorities
recorded a rapid
increase in
coronavirus
infections in
early February,
even as cases
fell elsewhere
in India.
Salunke, a
former WHO
official
advising the
Maharashtra
government, said
he alerted some
of India's most
senior health
officials in
early March,
speaking on the
telephone to
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's
main coronavirus
adviser, V.K.
Paul, and the
head of the
National Centre
for Disease
Control (NCDC),
Sujeet Kumar
Singh.
Salunke told
Reuters he
warned both Paul
and Singh that
the virus was
showing signs of
mutating in
Amravati, that
its
transmissibility
was increasing,
and requested
federal help in
sequencing more
samples to
establish how
the variant was
behaving.
Reuters could
not
independently
confirm what was
said in those
conversations.
"In spite of a
public health
person like me
giving them a
sound warning,
they did not
take heed,"
Salunke told
Reuters.
In response to
Reuters’
questions, Paul
said he spoke
with Salunke,
but described
the conversation
as Salunke
conveying
information
rather than
issuing a
warning.
He rejected
Salunke’s
accusation that
he did not take
heed, saying he
requested that
India’s National
Institute of
Virology (NIV)
study the
variant more
closely, and
told the
Maharashtra
state government
to intensify its
existing
response to the
virus.
Reuters could
not determine if
the NIV carried
out any such
study. The NIV
directed
Reuters’
questions to the
Indian Council
of Medical
Research, which
did not respond.
“The government
strengthened the
sequencing and
clinico-epidemiological
studies,” Paul
told Reuters.
“The government
intensely,
repeatedly, from
multiple fora,
emphasized the
need for
containment
using all the
tools even more
vigorously, and
optimizing
testing.”
NCDC’s Singh and
India’s health
ministry did not
respond to
questions from
Reuters about
Salunke's
warning.
Despite
Salunke’s
flagging of the
problem, and
a further
warning in early
March from a
forum of
scientific
advisers that
the new variant
was taking hold
in the country,
the federal
government
allowed election
rallies,
religious
festivals and
other mass
gatherings to
proceed, and
failed to take
measures to halt
the spread of
the virus.
Within 80 days,
the variant went
from Amravati to
dozens of
countries around
the world,
including
Britain, the
United States
and Singapore,
presenting a
setback to
global efforts
to contain the
disease.
It is impossible
to say exactly
how many
infections in
each country
have been caused
by the new
variant, because
very few samples
from positive
tests have been
sequenced. U.S.
authorities
estimated last
week that the
variant
accounted for 6%
of coronavirus
infections
there.
In India, the
dramatic rise in
infection
numbers from
April onwards -
partly driven by
the variant,
according to
public health
studies -
overwhelmed the
country's health
system, causing
hospitals to run
out of beds and
oxygen and
causing
crematoriums and
graveyards to
overflow.
India’s health
minister, Dr
Harsh Vardhan,
said last month
that the variant
was identified
in about 20% of
samples in the
country that had
been sequenced.
In late January,
when India's
daily count of
coronavirus
infections had
fallen to around
12,000, Modi all
but declared
victory at a
World Economic
Forum event,
saying the
country had
"saved humanity
from a big
disaster by
containing
coronavirus
effectively."
That sense of
optimism was
sweeping large
parts of India,
including
Amravati, where
cases had
dropped to a
trickle,
according to
local health
officials. The
district, home
to 2.9 million
people, had
reported only
dozens of
COVID-19 cases
daily through
much of January,
according to
government data.
"Everyone was
relaxed," said
Shyamsunder
Nikam,
Amravati's civil
surgeon, who
supervises
public health
matters in the
district.
But case numbers
started suddenly
rising in late
January,
alarming Nikam
and other local
officials. New
infections rose
to around 200 a
day by Feb. 7
and reached 430
a day a week
later, as the
virus tore
through the
district's rural
interior that
had been largely
unscathed during
India's first
wave in 2020.
A task force set
up by the
Maharashtra
government to
guide its
pandemic
response ordered
a probe. Dr
Rajesh
Karyakarte, who
was part of the
investigation,
said he analysed
four positive
samples from the
region and found
they all
contained a
mutation called
E484Q, a sign
that a variant
was likely at
play.
Karyakarte told
Reuters he
presented the
findings to the
Maharashtra task
force in a video
conference on
Feb. 16. Reuters
could not
independently
confirm if he
did so or how
the task force
responded. Dr
Tatyarao Lahane,
a member of the
task force, did
not respond to
questions from
Reuters.
The discovery of
the new mutation
and spiking case
numbers in
Amravati alarmed
Salunke. He said
he travelled to
Amravati in late
February and
conducted
coronavirus
tests on nearly
700 people.
Around half of
them turned out
positive for
COVID-19.
Within a few
days, he told
Reuters, state
health
authorities sent
samples from
Amravati to the
NCDC for further
genetic
sequencing to
establish if a
variant was
present. The
NCDC did not
respond to
questions from
Reuters about
what it did with
those samples.
Meanwhile,
federal health
officials played
down the
potential role
of new variants
in the spike of
infections.
"There is no
direct relation
between the
recent surge in
COVID-19 cases
in Maharashtra
and some other
states with the
mutant virus
strains N440K
and E484Q of
COVID-19,"
India's health
ministry said in
a media
statement on
Feb. 23.
Modi’s
coronavirus
adviser Paul
said that
assessment was
based on the
data authorities
had at that
time.
“We knew that
something had
been spotted but
we didn’t know
the significance
thereof at that
point,” Paul
told Reuters.
“True
significance of
variants emerges
with time.
Scientific data
has now led us
to understand
the role of
these variants.”
In late
February,
federal and
local officials
had a meeting to
discuss the
spike in
Amravati,
according to a
senior
government
scientist who
attended it.
At the meeting,
Maharashtra's
State
Surveillance
Officer Dr
Pradip Awate
said the rise in
cases was due to
voters flocking
to local
elections held
in January
rather than any
kind of new
variant, the
scientist who
attended the
meeting told
Reuters.
Federal
officials,
including from
the Indian
Council of
Medical
Research,
appeared
convinced by
that explanation
and did not
press for
further
investigation,
the scientist
said.
"At that time
there was
certain
confusion,"
Awate told
Reuters, which
made it hard to
assess exactly
why cases were
rising.
The emergence of
the new variant
was not treated
with the urgency
it deserved,
said Salunke.
"What happened
in Maharashtra
is a natural
phenomenon. And
it should have
been addressed
on a war
footing, as an
absolute
emergency," he
said. "It was
ignored and the
entire focus was
on the
elections," he
said, referring
to a series of
state elections
that were held
through March
and April,
drawing crowds
of thousands to
rallies by
Modi's party as
well as
opposition
politicians.
Missing the rise
of the variant
in Amravati in
late February
was a "major
mistake", said
the scientist
who attended the
Maharashtra
meeting.
State health
official Awate
said Maharashtra
could have
imposed stricter
lockdowns and
restricted
inter-district
travel much
sooner. Instead,
lockdowns were
imposed in
Maharashtra and
other major
cities such as
New Delhi only
in mid-to-late
April.
Between March
and April, the
federal
government
allowed the
Kumbh Mela Hindu
festival to
proceed in
northern India,
drawing millions
of people from
around the
country for a
holy dip in the
Ganges, many of
whom travelled
back home
carrying the
virus, according
to public health
officials.
Even as it
spread across
India, the
variant was
carried to other
countries where
it also sparked
a rash of cases.
In Britain, a
related variant
- called
B.1.617.2 or
Delta by the WHO
- was found in
areas where many
people travel
back and forth
to India,
according to
experts.
Over the winter,
the nation was
adding about
100,000 deaths
each month. But
as more and more
people were
vaccinated —
particularly
older Americans
— the death rate
fell
precipitously.
There are now
about 375 deaths
per day on
average - down
from more than
3,000 per day in
January.
Worldwide, the
U.S. still is
reporting the
greatest total
deaths, followed
by Brazil, India
and Mexico. The
total global
death toll
stands at 3.8
million.
The death toll,
according to
Johns Hopkins,
stood at 600,012
on Tuesday
afternoon.
Even so, the
cumulative
number of deaths
in the U.S.
clearly shows
the recent
positive impact
of vaccines:
barely a month
passed between
400,000 and a half-million deaths,
but it has taken
nearly four
times as long to
reach the
600,000 mark. At
the same time,
the trend in the
number of new
infections,
which has
closely mirrored
deaths, reached
a peak in
January of more
than 300,000 in
a single day.
Now the U.S. is
hovering around
an average of
fewer than
15,000 confirmed
infections,
according to
Johns Hopkins.
The positive
trends have led
many states to
lift their
coronavirus
restrictions —
with many
dropping mask
mandates
altogether for
vaccinated
individuals and
eliminating
other social
distancing
requirements. At the same time, however, many Americans have shown a reluctance to get vaccinated, with just over half of U.S. adults fully immunized. In parts of the Midwest and South, in particular, vaccine rates per 100,000 people still remain relatively low compared to the Northeast and parts of the West Coast, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The divide has been particularly marked between rural and urban areas of the country.
Tuesday's
figures come
after a study
this week
showing that a
new vaccine, one
made by Novavax,
is 100%
effective
against the
original strain
of the
coronavirus that
causes COVID-19,
and 93%
effective
against other
variants.
A filter made
from polymer
nano threads
blew three kinds
of commercial
masks out of the
water by
capturing 99.9%
of coronavirus
aerosols in an
experiment.
“Our work is the
first study to
use coronavirus
aerosols for
evaluating
filtration
efficiency of
face masks and
air filters,”
said
corresponding
author Yun Shen,
a UC Riverside
assistant
professor of
chemical and
environmental
engineering.
“Previous
studies have
used surrogates
of saline
solution,
polystyrene
beads, and
bacteriophages —
a group of
viruses that
infect
bacteria.”
The study,
led by engineers
at UC Riverside
and The George
Washington
University,
compared the
effectiveness of
surgical and
cotton masks, a
neck gaiter, and
electrospun
nanofiber
membranes at
removing
coronavirus
aerosols to
prevent airborne
transmission.
The cotton mask
and neck gaiter
only removed
about 45%-73% of
the aerosols.
The surgical
mask did much
better, removing
98% of
coronavirus
aerosols. But
the nanofiber
filter removed
almost all of
the coronavirus
aerosols.
Left: A
nanofiber filter
that captures
99.9% of
coronavirus
aerosols.
Right: A highly
magnified image
of the polymer
nanofibers.
(Photo: Yun Shen)
Studying a
contagious new
virus is
dangerous and
done in labs
with the highest
biosecurity
ratings, which
are relatively
rare. To date,
all studies
during the
pandemic on mask
or filter
efficiency have
used other
materials
thought to mimic
the size and
behavior of
coronavirus
aerosols. The
new study
improved on this
by testing both
aerosolized
saline solution
and an aerosol
that contained a
coronavirus in
the same family
as the virus
that causes
COVID-19, but
only infects
mice.
Shen and George
Washington
University
colleague
Danmeng Shuai
produced a
nanofiber filter
by sending a
high electrical
voltage through
a drop of liquid
polyvinylidene
fluoride to spin
threads about
300 nanometers
in diameter —
about 167 times
thinner than a
human hair. The
process created
pores only a
couple of
micrometers in
diameter on the
nanofiber’s
surfaces, which
helped them
capture 99.9% of
coronavirus
aerosols.
The production
technique, known
as
electrospinning,
is cost
effective and
could be used to
mass produce
nanofiber
filters for
personal
protective
equipment and
air filtration
systems.
“Electrospinning
can advance the
design and
fabrication of
face masks and
air filters,”
said Shen.
“Developing new
masks and air
filters by
electrospinning
is promising
because of its
high performance
in filtration,
economic
feasibility, and
scalability, and
it can meet
on-site needs of
the masks and
air filters.”
Aegle Launches
N95 Mask
Production with
Authentication
and Traceability
Aegle, a
high-quality
American-made
PPE manufacturer
and health-tech
company, has
launched the
first N95 and
NIOSH certified
mask that uses
authentication
and traceability
technology.
Every box case
and lot has an
embedded NFC
chip to prevent
counterfeiting
and ensure that
every mask sold
is trusted,
transparent and
authentic.
“Despite
plummeting
Covid-19 cases
in the US, the
world has
forever changed
as a result of
Covid-19 with
governments,
healthcare
organizations,
businesses and
consumers now
well aware of
the need to
maintain
domestic supply
of authentic
high-quality
masks and PPE,”
said Thomas
Lopez, chief
technology
officer at Aegle.
“We are actively
responding to
these needs
through our
health-tech
solutions and
our laser-focus
on innovating
and defining the
future of
high-tech,
high-quality
protective
medical
equipment. Our
industry-first
authentication
and traceability
technology is
the first
milestone in our
larger mission
to make medical
protective
equipment design
safer,
transparent and
trustworthy.”
Washington DC
Spends $24
Million
Upgrading School
Ventilation
Systems.
DC Mayor Muriel
Bowser expects
all 50,000 DC
Public School
students to
return to school
buildings in the
fall.
Patrick Davis,
DPCS Chief
Operating
Officer, invited
WUSA9 on a tour
of Dunbar High
School to talk
about the safety
upgrades made to
prepare for full
capacity
classrooms.
“It’s been a
fluid year,”
said Davis who
is in charge of
the system’s 110
building, “It
certainly hasn’t
been easy, but
the end mission
and target is to
create a safe
environment for
kids.”
Davis and his
team have been
working to
upgrade schools
since day one of
the pandemic.
The first COVID
upgrade to be
installed were
HVAC systems
that circulate
outside air into
the building,
even those, he
said that are
older and have
not been
modernized.
“Every single
school got a
specific report
and plan,”
explained Davis,
“so for the
schools that
don’t have an
upgraded HVAC
system we
installed
portable HEPA
filters.”
Just like
sanitizer and
socially distant
desks, the hum
of HEPA filters
is a staple in
classrooms.
Schools are
operating with
updated safety
guidelines of 3
feet distance
between desks.
Davis said most
classes will
still be able to
safely
accommodate a
full roster of
students.
“Schools have
done an amazing
job with their
custodial staff
and they’ve done
really good work
and honestly we
wouldn’t be here
without them,”
said Davis.
Ultraviolent
technology can
also be found in
every DCPS
bathroom in
newly installed
overhead lights.
“It brings air
through and it
goes through the
UVC light kit,”
explained Davis
as he pointed to
the light in the
bathroom
ceiling.
“basically, the
light touches
the virus or any
bacteria and its
likely to kill
any bacteria or
virus there.”
There’s even a
HEPA filter
inside the
light, for good
measure.
The upgrades
cost $24
million, but
with a huge
injection of
federal funds,
Davis said it
should have no
impact on school
budgets and
resources.
Daikin
Introduces New
Air Purifier
The air
purifiers come
in two models,
each with
different levels
of
air-purification
technology. The
Premium Air
Purifier
features HEPA
filtration that
captures up to
99.97 percent of
pollutants and
pathogens that
are 0.3 microns
or larger. The
Economy model
comes with a
MERV 13 filter,
in line with
ASHRAE's
guidance for
in-room air
cleaners. All
units also
include
two-stage
filtration to
bolster the
purifier's
ability to
capture harmful
particles
without
restricting
airflow or
efficiency.
"IAQ was
important before
the pandemic,
but now it's a
universal
concern and
need," said Jim
Macosko, general
manager, Daikin
Applied.
"However, many
organizations
don't have the
resources or
personnel to
overhaul their
HVAC systems.
The new in-room
air purifiers
provide an easy
and
cost-effective
way to remove
contaminants and
provide quality
air — in a
compact and
portable unit,
with simple set
up, and the
backing of
proven
filtration
technology."
All air
purifiers come
with
variable-speed
fans that adjust
circulation to
meet the
specific needs
of each space.
And the rugged,
furniture-grade
cabinet
construction
provides
convenient
service access
and ensures
quiet operation.
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