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In-air surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 is critical to monitor and improve facility safety protocols, especially considering that vaccinations do not offer 100% protection against infection, and if vaccines are effective against emerging and potentially more virulent variants.
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Some of the world’s most contagious diseases are spread by in-air transmission.For any pandemic response, prevention and mitigation are the two primary guiding principles. In the case of the COVID -19 pandemic, the most significant prevention mechanism has been restricting airborne transmission.
Research has shown that the smallest droplets and aerosol particles that carry in-air pathogens are small enough to remain suspended in the air for minutes to hours. This means pathogens can remain in the air of a room and be inhaled long after an infectious person has left.Airborne transmission arises through the inhalation of small airborne droplets by an infected person,in addition to more widely recognized transmission via larger respiratory droplets and direct contact with infected people or contaminated surfaces.
To limit the spread of infection risk indoors, it is necessary to control airborne transmission as part of an overall strategy. Apart from engineering controls such as sufficient ventilation, avoiding air recirculation, and overcrowding, a more robust and effective strategy is needed to identify the presence of the virus in the air.
An air surveillance solution to control spread of the COVID 19 through air
Thermo Scientific AerosolSense Sampler is an in-air pathogen surveillance solution thatidentifies the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the air. This makes it an effective tool to control the outbreak of the virus in public places and closed indoor areas such as hospitals, schools, and offices,and provides an additional level of protection in areas of public gathering and high-risk transmission settings.
The AerosolSense™ Sampler is a lightweight devise, which when paired with individual PCR testing, delivers timely and highly reliable insight into in-air pathogen presence for monitoring and improving facility safety protocols. The sampler tests indoor air for SARS-CoV-2, Flu A/B and/or RSV,significantly helpingwith environmental surveillance to protect communities while maintaining business and operational continuity.
In-air surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 is critical to monitor and improve facility safety protocols, especially considering that vaccinations do not offer 100% protection against infection, and if vaccines are effective against emerging and potentially more virulent variants.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Thermo Fisher Scientific has proactively supported customers by introducing advanced and innovative solutions that reinforce our mission to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, it has become clear that relying on only one layer of protection to safeguard public health will not suffice. and a combination of layered tools to combat viruses like SARS-CoV-2 will be required. It is important to evaluate the strategy that has been put in place and monitoring pathogens in the air can help provide the answers to those questions.