As concerns around COVID-19 continue to grow, businesses, educational institutions, and medical facilities are taking even more precautionary measures to keep people safe. Wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and social distancing are common practice, but air filtration also plays a critical role. In nursing homes—where residents are especially medically vulnerable—proper air filtration can help ensure the health and safety of the residents. Purafil is now offering filtration solutions to help fight against the spread of viruses in nursing homes.
How COVID-19 Spreads in Long-Term Care Facilities
Nursing homes, and long-term care account for 74 percent of all recent cases in Ohio and 40 percent of coronavirus deaths in Texas. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), long-term care facilities (such as nursing homes) are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 for two reasons. First, nursing homes have many residents living in close proximity to each other, which makes social distancing difficult and can increase the risk of transmission. Another reason nursing homes are highly susceptible is that residents are typically older adults with medical conditions. This is one of the most vulnerable populations for COVID-19 and the CDC recommends Long-term Care Facilities Act now to implement ALL COVID-19 preparedness recommendations, even before cases are identified in their community.
The CDC explains that visitors and health care providers can also introduce the virus (as carriers) into a long-term care facility. Even with social distancing, if residents were exposed to it prior, they could be affected, too. This is exacerbated by the fact that many residents with COVID-19 may not report symptoms such as fever or respiratory problems. This can also contribute to rapid transmission in these facilities.
Why Clean Air Matters in Nursing Homes
Nursing homes are crowded with residents, staff, and healthcare providers, which makes them a great environment for airborne viruses and bacteria to thrive. Even with HEPA filters, these viruses and bacteria can still spread, which is why eliminating them is so crucial to preventing the spread of COVID-19.
To help limit the spread of the virus, long-term care facility workers are washing their hands vigilantly, wearing PPE, and being proactive in sterilizing. These are all necessary precautions, but there’s something missing — sanitizing the air. COVID-19 has been shown to stay airborne for up to 3 hours, and by eliminating viruses and bacteria from the air, we can help limit further spreading.
Purafil’s air filtration solutions utilize technology that has been proven effective in removing 99.99% of aerosols carrying viruses*. How? They have four stages of filtration that capture and eliminate particulates, viruses, and bacteria. Each piece of equipment includes:
1) A Pre-filter that catches large particles and removes them from the air.
2) Molecular filtration Patented§ molecular filtration media removes aerosols carrying viruses from the air, safely oxidizing the molecules, while removing toxic and harmful gases.
3) PuraWard Filter The PuraWard filter is protected from many viruses, bacteria, and mold using copper and silver ions†.
4) A HEPA filter that cleans the air of particulates as small as 0.3 microns before releasing it back into the room.
By effectively cleaning the air and achieving the CDC’s recommended number of air changes per hour, Purafil air filtration systems remove aerosols carrying viruses and bacteria, which can help minimize the spread in nursing homes. Available in an array of sizes and airflows, our air filtration systems remove 99.99%of aerosols carrying viruses*. We are happy to do our part to help minimize the spread. To learn more about Purafil’s air filtration equipment, visit our website.
*Laboratory testing demonstrated 99.99% reduction of aerosols carrying MS2. Copies of the full test reports are available upon request. † Filter protected by an EPA-registered antimicrobial additive. §Patent number US 9,370,763 B2
Recommended Posts
Categories
Archives
February 6-8 ASHRAE held the annual AHR trade show in Atlanta. AHR is the trade show for all things related to HVACR and participants and exhibitors hail from all over the globe. Purafil representatives, distributors, and customers who were attending the show were invited to our private event and to tour our headquarters in Doraville. […]
Author:
Date: 2023-02-24
View More
In the wake of the release of toxic chemicals from the derailed train in East Palestine, Ohio, many municipalities are considering how they can mitigate the risks of a toxic chemical release. Water-treatment plants that use chlorine gas to purify drinking water need to have an immediate response to protect their onsite employees and surrounding […]
Author:
Date: 2023-02-16
View More