Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
COVID Death Toll Exceeds Four Million
When Should You Wear Masks?
Mainetti will
Supply HK
96 Nanofiber
Masks to Hong
Kong Delegation
to the Olympics
California Farm
Workers to get
N95 masks for
Wildfire Season
King Country Oregon Recommending Filters and
Masks for
Wildfire Season
Sanders Filters
Claimed to
Obtain MERV 16
Efficiency with
Low Resistance
________________________________________________________________________________________
Variant Deadly
for Unvaccinated
Americans
Cases are rising in
nearly half the
states as low
vaccination
rates are being
met with the
more
transmissible
and severe Delta
or B.1.617.2,
variant,
identified in
India in
December 2020.
Vaccinations
administered in
the US have
shown to be
effective
against the
Delta variant,
though it poses
serious risks to
those who remain
unvaccinated.
The variant is
already the
dominant strain
of Covid-19 in
the country,
accounting for
more than 50% of
all new US cases
and up to 80% of
cases in some
regions,
according to
Centers for
Disease Control
and Prevention
(CDC) data released Tuesday.
Joe Biden has
reiterated the
urgency behind
getting more
Americans
vaccinated.
When Should You
Wear Masks?
This variant,
combined with
low rates of
vaccination in
many parts of
the country, is
leading to new
surges in
Covid-19 cases,
which has led
to Los Angeles
County and St.
Louis-area health
officials
encouraging even
people who are
fully vaccinated
to wear masks
indoors.
The World Health
Organization has
issued similar
guidance (the
CDC has
continued to
say that
vaccinated
people do not
need to wear
masks under most
circumstances).
CNN interviewed
an expert on
this subject.
The more
difficult
question
becomes, what
about settings
where you don't
have to wear a
mask -- when
might you choose
to wear one?
Here are the
factors I'd
consider.
First is your
health and the
vaccination
status of those
in your
household. If
you are
immunocompromised,
you should be
wearing a mask
in all indoor
settings where
you could be
exposed to
unvaccinated
people.
If you live with
someone who is
immunocompromised
or with young,
unvaccinated
children, you
might still want
to take
additional
precautions.
Your chance of
contracting
Covid-19 and
passing it on to
your family is
much lower once
you're
vaccinated, but
it's not zero.
Consider wearing
a mask in
high-risk
settings, such
as crowded
grocery stores
or indoor church
services.
Second is the level of coronavirus infection and the rate
of vaccination
in your
community. These
two are
generally
correlated.
Museums Set the
Standard for
Good Air Quality
Before US
museums closed
last March, many
institutions
began
implementing
“rigorous
cleaning
protocols,”
putting
sanitation
workers into
overdrive to
eradicate
potential
fomites from
high-touch
surfaces.
But as
scientists began
to better
understand the
novel
coronavirus and
how it was
transmitted, it
became clear
that what we
should really be
worried about
was airborne
transmission.
Appropriate
ventilation can
help reduce the
concentration of
viral particles
in indoor air.
Conversely,
poorly designed
airflow can
actually
increase risk of
transmission,”
the American Alliance of Museums explained in a guide issued after
the onset of the
pandemic.
Fortunately,
museums are held
to pretty high
air-quality
standards by
the American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating,
and
Air-Conditioning
Engineers,
or ASHRAE, to
maintain optimal
conservation
conditions.
“For
preservation
purposes with
the art, there’s
a very, very
stringent indoor
requirement in
terms of
temperature and
humidity that
needs to be
maintained,”
said Molly Dee,
head of deep
carbon reduction
at the
consulting firm
Jaros, Baum &
Bolles, which
worked on the
2019 expansion
of the Museum of Modern
Art,
and helped
survey the
facilities ahead
of its reopening.
“The design of
our air systems,
which have high
performance
filters in place
to meet
preservation
needs, also
helps us adhere
to current
ventilation
guidelines,” a
representative
of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco told Artnet News in
an email. “We
always monitor
environmental
conditions,
especially
temperature and
relative
humidity,
closely and
continuously.
This allows us
to detect the
impact of any
changes, and to
make adjustments
to artwork
displays as
needed.”
Across town,
the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is frequently pressed into
service as a
“breathing
center” during
California fire
season. The
museum’s lobby
and public
spaces offer
fresh, clean air
to the public
when the state’s
air quality hits
unsafe levels.
And at the Museum in Fine Arts in Houston, the first major museum in the country to reopen, a
high-tech
ventilation
system was
always
especially
important
because of the
local climate.
(The museum
installed new
HVAC systems in
two of its three
buildings only
three years
ago.)
“Because of the
problems with
humidity and the
possibility of
mold growth,
which is
pervasive in our
atmosphere,
ventilation is
really
important,”
director Gary
Tinterow told
Artnet News.
“What’s good for
works of art is
good for human
beings also.
Museum
environments are
exceptionally
clean and
healthy.”
In its official ventilation in buildings guidelines, the CDC does not recommend that businesses
replace their
ventilation
systems to
protect against
COVID, but does
advise that
“upgrades or
improvements can
increase the
delivery of
clean air and
dilute potential
contaminants.”
For some
museums, those
improvements
include
increasing the
frequency with
which air
circulates
through the
building.
At the MFAH, “in
any given space
the air is going
to change every
five to seven
minutes,”
Tinterow said.
“We increased
the amount of
fresh air flow
through the
building during
the day and at
night.”
That meant
turning off
“demand control
ventilation,” a
popular
energy-saving
tool that limits
intake of fresh
air when
buildings are
closed so that
the heating,
cooling, and
dehumidifying
systems have
less work to do.
“Many spaces
have disabled
that function
for the time
being and have
really focused
on just bringing
in more outdoor
air more
frequently,” Dee
said.
Tinterow said
the increased
energy costs are
somewhat offset
because the MFAH
is now open five
days a week
instead of six,
and there is
lower
electricity use
with some
employees still
working from
home.
Another way
museums are
improving air
quality is by
installing more
effective air
filters, as
measured by the
Minimum
Efficiency
Reporting Value
system. MERV
ratings range
from one to 20,
with the highest
levels, above
16, typically
employed in
hospital
operating rooms
and other
cleanroom
environments.
(The CDC and ASHRAE both recommend a minimum rating of
MERV 13 to
reduce the
possibility of
virus
transmission.)
“We have
enhanced our
current systems,
which have a
three-stage
filtration
system, by
upgrading to
MERV 14 filters
that will be
changed more
frequently,
and achieving
four to five air
changes per
hour,” the LACMA
rep said.
At MoMA, “our
new spaces
opened in 2019
with MERV-16
filters and
since then,
we’ve gradually
upgraded filters
across our
campus
everywhere
possible to
MERV-13 and
MERV-16. This
process was
expedited with
the outbreak of
the pandemic and
completed last
summer,” a MoMA
representative
told Artnet
News in an
email.
The Museum of
Contemporary Art
Chicago replaced
its HVAC
equipment as
part of its 50th
anniversary
building
redesign in
2017. “It was
state of art,
and it provided
additional air
flow capacity,”
Gwen Perry
Davis, director
of operations,
told Artnet
News.
But before
reopening in
July, the museum
spent months
evaluating the
premises,
including the
HVAC systems,
conducting an
outside
evaluation to
ensure that
there was
sufficient air
circulation.
“We passed that
with flying
colors,” Davis
said.
The MFAH is also
looking into
using new filter
technology from
the University
of Houston and
a local company
called Medistar
that kills 99.8 percent of coronavirus particles.
The filter is
electrified,
heating up to
392 degrees to
zap the virus.
The company has
already donated
one to the
museum.
“We’ve installed
it in our James
Turrell space,
which is
probably the
most confined
space that we
have in the
museum,”
Tinterow said.
But despite the
importance of
air circulation,
HVAC is, of
course, only
part of equation
when it comes to
keeping museums
safe in the age
of COVID-19.
“We have a
high-quality air
system,” a Cleveland Museum of Art representative told
Artnet News.
“We look at it
as a part of a
number of
activities—including
limiting
occupancy,
social
distancing,
disinfecting,
and temperature
checks—that all
work together to
provide the
safest
environment
possible.”
Mainetti will
Supply HK 96
Nanofiber Masks
to Hong Kong
Delegation to
the Olympics
As the Official
Face Mask
Supplier, MainettiCare will
provide 100%
Made in Hong
Kong high-performance
HK96 Nanofiber
Filter 3D Face
Masks (HK96™)
and the MainettiCare Disposable
Masks (ASTM
Level 3) to the
travelling Hong
Kong, China Delegation.
This essential
PPE will
safeguard
athletes and
officials from
Covid-19 while
providing
maximum
performance and
comfort.
"We look forward
to the many
proud moments
that our local
Olympians and
Paralympians are
sure to provide.
We wish them
every success as
they go for gold
.
Mainetti's
diversified
portfolio
includes
Packaging,
Branding, Supply
Chain, and
Intelligent
(RFID)
Solutions, and
in 2020, we
introduced a
line of Health
and Safety
products that
help customers
in their efforts
to mitigate
Covid-19 risks.
Our holistic
supply chain
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year.in Japan."
Mask with 300 nm
Nanofibers
Captures 99.9%
of the
Coronavirus
“The electrospun
air filters
showed excellent
performance by
capturing up to
99.9% of
coronavirus
aerosols, which
outperformed
many commercial
face masks,” the
study states.
“In addition, we
observed that
the same
electrospun air
filter or face
mask removed
NaCl aerosols
equivalently or
less effectively
in comparison to
the coronavirus
aerosols when
both aerosols
were generated
from the same
system. Our work
paves a new
avenue for
advancing air
filtration by
developing
electrospun
nanofibrous air
filters for
controlling
SARS-CoV-2
airborne
transmission.”
Most studies up
until now have
used other
materials to
mimic both the
size and
behavior of
coronaviruses,
but the
investigators in
this study use
an aerosolized
saline solution
and an aerosol
that contained a
coronavirus from
the same family
as COVID-19.
Findings from
the study showed
that the cotton
mask and neck
gaiter removes
around 45% to
73% of the
aerosols, while
the surgical
mask removed
around 98%.
However, the
nanofiber filter
removed almost
all of the
coronavirus
aerosols, just
about 99.9%.
"Electrospinning
can advance the
design and
fabrication of
face masks and
air filters,"
Shen said.
"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."
California Farm
Workers to get
N95 masks for
Wildfire Season
California may soon grant farmworkers essential access to
the state’s
stockpile of N95
respirators to
distribute when
wildfire smoke
is hazardous.
While the measure has steadily advanced through the
Legislature,
some Republican
lawmakers
remained
concerned that
granting more
access to the
stockpile could
deplete supplies
as the highly
contagious delta
variant
continues to
spread across
the state. At
the same time,
the standards
board governing
California’s
workplace health
and safety
agency,
Cal/OSHA, last
month
approved changes
to its COVID-19
regulations,
which now
require all
employers to
provide N95
masks to workers
upon request.
Business groups
had feared this
would lead to a
repeat of the
mask shortages
in 2020.
In 2019 Cal/OSHA began requiring employers to distribute
N95 masks to
outdoor workers
when the air
quality index
reaches a
certain
threshold and
becomes
hazardous. A
recent study
found wildfire
smoke to be 10
times more
harmful than
other sources of
air pollution.
Marco Lizarraga, who directs the farmworker group La
Cooperativa
Campesina de
California, said
that during the
pandemic and
wildfires,
farmworkers were
treated as “a
sacrificial
labor force.” He
explained the
health impacts
wildfires have
posed to
workers.
“The inhalation of smoke may bring about
pulmonary
diseases,
cardiovascular
illnesses and an
exacerbation of
asthma,”
testified
Lizarraga. “Inhalation
risks include
hazardous
materials that
might be
contained in the
emission of ash
and soil
particles as
dust during
agricultural
activities.”
While agricultural interests have supported the intent of
the measure in
bolstering
access to the
stockpile and
have not
registered any
opposition to
the bill, they
have raised
concerns about
certain
provisions in
the language.
The measure would require Cal/OSHA to deploy regional “strike
teams” to
enforce the
wildfire smoke
protections at
agricultural
workplaces. The
California
Association of
Winegrape
Growers (CAWG)
argued this
should be based
on need and not
mandated. Rivas
later softened
the language
from “shall”
to “may”
for deploying
the teams.
King Country
Oregon
Recommending
Filters and
Masks for
Wildfire Season
Wildfire smoke
is unhealthy for
everyone, but
children,
pregnant women,
stroke
survivors, and
people who are
over 65 years of
age or who have
a respiratory
disease or
illness, heart
disease or
diabetes are
especially
vulnerable to
smoke. It
contains small
particles and
other chemicals
that can
irritate your
eyes, nose,
throat and
lungs. It can
cause your eyes
to burn and your
nose to run.
Smoke can cause
wheezing,
coughing,
shortness of
breath and
headaches. It
can also worsen
any existing
lung, heart, or
circulatory
condition people
may have, such
as triggering
asthma attacks.
For most people
symptoms are
relatively minor
but the impacts
on the most
vulnerable can
be serious or
even deadly.
Research finds
that people
often experience
the most severe
outcomes from
wildfire smoke
the day after
they were
exposed.
One group that
suffered more
reported health
impacts last
year was,
perhaps
surprisingly,
young, healthy
people between
20 to 30-years
old, many of
whom continued
to be active
outdoors during
smoke days.
Please remember
smoke is
unhealthy for
all.
Wildfire smoke
increases health
risks for people
with COVID-19,
including those
who have
recovered.
Wildfire smoke
may increase the
severity of
symptoms for
people with
COVID-19.
COVID-19 can
make it much
harder to
breathe. Poor
air quality
caused by
wildfire smoke
may make it even
harder for
people to fight
COVID-19 since
both have the
potential to
affect the
lungs, and other
overlapping
parts of the
immune system.
Many people most
susceptible to
COVID-19 are
also those most
vulnerable to
the impacts of
wildfire smoke.
Individuals who
have recovered
from COVID-19
may be more
vulnerable to
wildfire smoke
due to potential
long-term damage
from COVID in
the lungs. With
more than
100,000 people
in King County
having recovered
from COVID-19
illness, it is
more important
than ever to
take steps to be
Smoke Ready,
especially if
you or a family
member has
recovered from
COVID-19.
Prepare your
home
–
If the air
quality is poor,
stay indoors to
the extent
possible. Creating
a clean air
space inside
your home is
your best option
to ensure you
are able to get
relief from
wildfire smoke
this season.
Find out
more information
from the U.S.
EPA here.
Filtering the
air in your home
will reduce risk
from COVID-19 as
well as from
smoke. Filtered
air will reduce
smoke levels and
the amount of
virus
circulating in
the air indoors.
However,
filtering air
indoors alone
will not be
enough to
protect you from
the spread of
COVID-19, and
best practices
of vaccination,
social
distancing, hand
washing, and
other measures
should still be
followed.
·
If you have an
HVAC system, buy
filters that
have the highest
designated
filter rating
that the
manufacturer
recommends. Use
the
“recirculation”
mode during
wildfire smoke
events. This is
the best way to
improve indoor
air quality
though out your
home rather than
just a single
room.
When it gets
smoky, you
should also
consider steps
to reduce indoor
sources of air
pollution by
keeping windows
and doors closed
and avoiding
activities like
burning candles
and smoking
indoors. Try to
avoid vacuuming,
unless you use a
vacuum with a
HEPA filter.
What about masks?
In an effort to
continue to
prevent
transmission of
COVID-19, Public
Health officials
have directed
people in King
County to
continue wearing
face coverings
over their noses
and mouths in
indoor public
locations and
outdoor settings
where they can’t
stay six feet
apart, until 70%
of the
population is
fully
vaccinated.
Cloth and
surgical masks
generally
provide very
little
protection
against wildfire
smoke. N95
respirators can
provide
protection
against wildfire
smoke when well
fitted and worn
properly.
However, if worn
incorrectly they
can provide a
false since of
security,
increasing your
susceptibility
to wildfire
smoke. Because
these
respirators can
restrict air
flow and make it
harder to
breathe, N95
masks can worsen
some
pre-existing
health
conditions.
Speak with your
healthcare
provider before
using an N95 or
other respirator
for any extended
period of time.
And remember,
limiting your
time outdoors
during wildfire
smoke events is
the best way to
reduce your
exposure to
wildfire smoke.
Know where you can
go
As the county
continues to
reopen on the
path to COVID-19
recovery, public
locations with
cleaner and
cooler air may
continue to have
specific
requirements
such as
occupancy
limitations, or
time limits for
customers and
guests as they
continue to help
prevent the
spread of
COVID-19. Public
Health
recommend.
Sanders Filters
Claimed to
Obtain MERV 16
Efficiency with
Low Resistance
Sanders
Containment
Filters are
claimed to be
revolutionary
because they can
provide MERV 16
rated air
filtration with
filtration
efficiencies up
to 98.5% at 0.3
micron. The
filters are able
to achieve this
with no
retrofitting of
the current HVAC
system. The
low-resistance
air flow levels
are what make
this air filter
unique allowing
Sanders Filters
to be utilized
in almost any
HVAC system.
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