Too much emphasis has been put on surface cleaning and not enough on indoor air cleaning
We now know from recent studies there was less of a chance of contracting the coronavirus by surface touching and more emphasis should have been put on indoor air. In fact, there is still not one documented case of COVID-19 surface transmission. A fortune has been spent wiping down surfaces and it’s now a growing industry, companies who contract to routinely come into an office and wipe or spray everything down.
A recent editorial in Nature magazine (02 February 2021) stated, “People and organizations continue to prioritize costly disinfection efforts, when they could be putting more resources into emphasizing the importance of masks and investigating measures to improve ventilation”. The reality is the coronavirus spreads mainly through the air and assuming regular hand-washing, there’s no need to constantly disinfect surfaces.
In fact, over a year into the pandemic, the evidence is now clear the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted predominantly through the air. People gathering and closely talking and breathing out large droplets and small particles called aerosols is the primary method for the virus to spread. Contracting the virus from surfaces is very unlikely and seems to be rare (E. Goldman Lancet Infect. Dis. 20, 892–893; 2020). Based on the study we now know more emphasis (and funding) should be used to install systems in the HVAC system or even better inside the area where people gather to constantly disinfect the surrounding air.
This is why indoor air systems which utilize UV (ultraviolent) lamps can help. The Airolizer, a proprietary commercial air purifier works 24/7 to scrub air in-room. Installed into the ceiling, the recessed 2’ x 2’ troffer can be mounted in areas where people gather and work to clean air. The UV based air purifier is designed for commercial applications and should be considered as an exceptionally good solution to help mitigate the spread of airborne pathogens, including viruses like COVID-19.
No one is truly safe from COVID-19 until everyone is safe. We are in a race against time to get global transmission rates low enough to prevent the emergence and spread of new variants. The danger is that variants will arise that can overcome the immunity conferred by vaccinations or prior infection. For this reason it will be key for businesses, schools, nursing homes, gyms, medical facilities to have an effective air purifier installed system to clean the air.