Whereas at the beginning of the Corona pandemic it was assumed that the pathogen, the Sars-Cov-2 virus, would spread from person to person primarily by droplet infection, in recent months scientists have come to the important conclusion that the virus can also spread via aerosols. In the fresh air, infection with the virus is therefore much less likely than in closed rooms. Now in winter, we all spend a lot of time indoors - the infection figures have skyrocketed in recent weeks. Only the second, slightly less stringent lockdown in November prevented the numbers from rising further. Efficient air filters can dramatically reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection indoors.
Infection via aerosols
Aerosols are the airborne particles that are released into the air when people speak or exhale. While only very few aerosols with adhering virus particles are released when breathing, the number increases significantly when speaking or singing. This also explains why the risk of infection is so much higher indoors than outdoors. In addition to UV radiation, which destroys the genetic information of the virus, the extremely rapid, very strong dilution of aerosols in fresh air plays an important role.
In an enclosed space, the number of exhaled pathogens increases constantly. Thus, the more people there are in a room, the longer one stays in that room, and the poorer the air exchange in that room, the higher the risk of infection with the Sars Cov-2 virus.
Therefore, even though the exact amount of virus and virus particles necessary for infection varies from person to person, it is important to minimize the amount of virus particles emitted by infected people in the room air.
Highly efficient VITAPOINT® air purifier
A highly efficient technical solution to achieve this is the VITAPOINT® air purifier developed by Xtrac tion®. This air purifier is equipped with an H-14 HE PA filter, which is also used in sterile workbenches in laboratories. This ensures that even virus particles are efficiently filtered out of the air. At the same time, the air in rooms with an area of 100 m2 can be circulated and cleaned up to 15 times per hour. Even in large rooms with an area of over 300 m2 , a 5-fold air exchange is still achieved. This corresponds to over 1,000 liters of air that can be cleaned per second. It is assumed that a ventilation rate of about 25 L/s per person is necessary to prevent respiratory diseases6.
Another important feature of the VITAPOINT® is the integrated CO2 monitoring. A high CO2 value indicates poor air quality and a high particle density in the room air. This is an important indicator of an increased risk of infection. The Vitapoint warns when the CO2 value is too high, so you can react accordingly and, for example, ventilate or interrupt a meeting.
The humidity of the room air also influences the risk of infection. If the room air is too dry, this leads to a reduction in the size of the droplets, which means that they remain in the air longer and are breathed in more easily. The risk of infection is therefore higher when the air is too dry.
That is why the VITAPOINT® also monitors the air humidity and allows countermeasures to be taken, e.g. with a humidifier. I am convinced that the VITAPOINT®, due to its enormous circulation capacity in combination with an H-14 filter, manages reliably and quickly to massively reduce the virus load in the room air and thus drastically reduce the risk of infection.
The use of such an air purifier is therefore an extremely important measure to reduce the risk of infection in closed rooms to a minimum. In addition to wearing oral-nasal covering, the use of an efficient air purifier is a crucial contribution to preventing the spread of SARS-Cov-2 and ensuring the maintenance of public life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, widespread use in e.g. hospitals, schools, restaurants, gyms and stores can have a decisive effect in containing the pandemic.
Find now your suitable Vitapoint air purifier at an unbeatable price!
Text: Dr. Jan Kranich(Vitapoint)
Picture credits: Vitapoint
Published on: 26 November 2020