The risk of contracting COVID-19 is higher indoors. In fact, 31% of coronavirus outbreaks in Spain come in the form of indoor gatherings. Coronavirus spreads via small contagious particles in the air, which are first exhaled by the infected party and then inhaled by a non-infected person. The three known causes of COVID transmission are:
- Water droplets created when speaking/coughing
- Contaminated surfaces
- Aerosol transmission – Airborne transmission
How can LED Direct help?
In the latest innovation to tackle the global outbreak of coronavirus, We have launched the Purelight Flow UV-C. We are focusing on stopping the spread by disinfecting the air and surfaces in the room.
How?
Our Purelight machines work by penetrating cells and breaking down the microorganisms and RNA of viruses like COVID-19. UV-C radiation disinfects the air and surfaces in the room (walls, worktops, objects, etc.) and is able to reach various nooks, in the form of reflected rays.
By having our machines in homes, businesses and schools, we can slow the spread of COVID-19.
How much risk am I at without proper infection control measures?
Socialising indoors in a group of six
Unfortunately, whether you maintain social distancing or not, talking in a group of six for hours on end in a room with no ventilation will likely result in the spread of COVID-19. If one person is infected and the gathering lasts four hours, the other five people will be at risk of infection if no one wears a mask. Even if you all wear masks, four of the five will still be statistically at risk. However, this infection rate drops below one person if the room is ventilated, everyone wears masks, and you drop the gathering time down to two hours.
Communicating
Risk of spreading the disease is increased depending on how you are communicating with others. If you are silent, the number of contagious particles produced is minimal. This increases by a factor of ten when you speak and by a factor of 50 when you shout or sing. The longer you partake in these activities, the more particles you produce. For example, shouting or singing indoors by an infected person for sixty minutes can create 1,500 contagious doses.
Public gatherings
Outbreaks at clubs, pubs and restaurants make up a hefty number of reported cases. Each nightclub outbreak, on average, results in the infection of 27 different people. In fact, one outbreak at a Cordoba nightclub in Spain resulted in 73 new positive COVID-19 cases. In Vietnam, 12 infections were recorded thanks to an outbreak at a bar.
Let’s say that you are in a bar with 14 other customers and three people working behind the bar, but there is no ventilation at all. Without any preventative measures, over four hours, it is predicted that 14 of the 15 customers would be infected. If everyone uses masks, that number drops to eight. If you do not spend as long in the bar and the room is well ventilated, it drops again to just one new infection.
Schools
In Spain, 6% of all outbreaks occur in schools and the spread of infection changes depending on whether the infected party is a teacher or student. As they talk far more than the children, it is far riskier to have an infected teacher. Let’s say there is a classroom with 24 students and one infected teacher. With no preventative measures, across two hours, it is likely that 12 of those students will be infected. That number falls to five if everyone wears a mask. The number drops far more dramatically is the room is well ventilated and the lesson only lasts an hour.
LED Direct's state-of-the-art UV-C light sanitiser, the Purelight Flow, is a portable and reliable provider of UV lighting treatment. As an affordable UV light distributor suitable for use by thousands of people for both treatment and preventative measures, the Purelight Flow comes in two forms: the Standard Flow and the Hybrid.
Already, UV technology is being integrated into infection control measures. It's used by many leading organisations, including the NHS, Transport for London, and various gyms and clinics.This comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) has approved the use of UV technology to help fight COVID-19.
There are many industries that would benefit from investing in UV-C lighting, with the Purelight Flow being at the forefront of UV products available in the UK.