Is the Covid pandemic over?

The Minister of Health warns that the pandemic is far from over. The World Health Organization (WHO) still classifies it as a global pandemic and has currently even increased its assessment of the threat potential. At the beginning of the pandemic and even last year, the WHO stated that SARS-CoV-19 was a purely droplet infection, but now it considers it to be an airborne infection. This has significant implications for our infection control measures.

Droplet infections are transmitted through large droplets expelled by humans when sneezing or coughing, which are so large that they can also survive on surfaces for a long time. Accordingly, the protective measures we all remember include maintaining distance (at least 1.5 meters, because larger droplets can travel that far), hygiene measures such as washing hands and disinfecting surfaces, and many felt safe from infection behind a Plexiglas shield. However, all these measures are of little use if the virus can spread freely in the ambient air as a biological nanoparticle and can travel long distances through the air, as the WHO considers to be confirmed. Fortunately, individual nanoparticles are not released. They are embedded in small droplets of a few micrometers in size and are transported as so-called aerosols in millions when exhaled. Aerosols can be effectively filtered out by an FFP2 mask as mouth-nose protection (MNS).

But not everywhere can FFP2 masks be worn for long periods, especially since the obligation has been lifted. Here, a new alternative from Spetec GmbH offers: filter boxes for purifying indoor air. The core of these are high-performance filters with a particularly large surface area of a HEPA filter. They can remove 99.995% of all particles/aerosols. By filtering these from the ambient air, viruses, bacteria, yeast and mold spores, dust, and pollen are also significantly reduced. The benefit is obvious: the risk of infection is minimized by the germ-free air, and allergy sufferers can breathe freely again.

The mentioned air filter boxes, which require little space, are available in two different versions: as a mobile box (Clean Boy Office) on wheels and as a ceiling-mounted module (FMS Office). All modules are optimized for routine use and can be used in manufacturing rooms, offices, classrooms, nursing and retirement homes, or restaurants. They cause little disturbance, as even at full load, the noise level remains below the values typical of a normal office environment.

All systems create a room climate in which one can feel as safe from infection by bacteria or viruses as when wearing an FFP2 mask. We should now do everything possible to break the ongoing pandemic wave and to be prepared for the next one.