Letter to Hospitals and Doctors…read more
Subject: Medical Practitioner Death and the Solution to Disinfect the Air Cond System of Hospitals
The reports of medical frontlines increasing death is a question of why. They are well equipped with PPE and are the most qualified to know the dangers and strengths of the need for health safety such as wearing PPE, against the virus.
The answer lies in that the most unanticipated source of contamination has not been eliminated altogether. This is the virus transmission caused by the air conditioning system in the hospital.
Check the following:
1. Air condition operating principle.
a. Air cond units have air discharge and exhaust that circulate air in a given closed room.
b. When running, air condition temperature would be at least 24C, way below the virus limit to life temperature of 28C. Therefore air cond rooms are a good place for the virus to thrive.
c. Each air-cond unit has an air filter which must be detached and cleaned to keep the room air quality sanitized.
2. Physical characteristics of the coronavirus.
a. It can thrive in temperature up to 28before it dies down gradually.
b. The distance the virus can travel is normally up to 1meter but can be longer depending on the strength of its discharge (sneezing or mouth droplets).
c. The virus uses the moist of droplets and sneezes to survive. When this dries up the virus begins to deteriorate without its host moisture.
Solutions to stop the virus circulation in the room.
a. Clean the air cond units and disinfect the entire units at least once a month during this pandemic period. Use standard procedure of soap & water. And final air drying.
b. Clean the air filter of the air cond separately from the unit.
i. Take out the filter and avoid direct contact.
ii. Wash thoroughly the filter with soap and water, meaning back to back.
iii. Dry the filter at least 10 to 20 % moisture content if possible 100% dry. Do not wring but drip dry or air dry.
iv. After drying the filter spray the filter with disinfectant end to end and back to back.
v. Have a spare filter per air cond and change the filter every end of the day. The used filter can be again washed, dry, and disinfected as per above. If the filter is dischargeable, discharge to the trash can, use the procedure of hospital discharges.
vi. When cleaning the air cond and filter the technician must wear PPE to ensure there is no contamination to himself.
vii. Ditto, when daily pulling out the filter and replacing it with a new filter, both newly washed and disinfected filter or disposable filter.
Also, medical workers must have separate dressing rooms to change and wear their PPE. No patient must be allowed inside such a room.
a. The PPE dressing room must not have the personal effects and bags of the medical worker. Keep the room bare except for closet and shoe shelves and maybe benches.
b. Disinfect the room every end of the day.
If this goes unchecked the death will simply go on unknowing what is causing it.
Other areas of the hospital must also be disinfected.
c. The canteen must be disinfected wall to wall table to table.
d. All cooking utensils, dishes, and cutlery must be disinfected after every use.
e. All other rooms in the hospital must be similarly disinfected.
Note: This procedure must also be used for malls, rooms, and halls where people assemble or gather for any purpose such as to dine, conference, seminar, shop, etc.
Prepared by:
Prof. Ernesto Abaya Guzman ME MM Ph.D. (cand)
Loyola Height, Quezon City
Philippines
Email: guzaba2003@yahoo.com
Cell: +63 9202167762
Note:
1. A former professor at University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines
2. If found useful please send a certificate of appreciation and if there is remuneration please send notice to advise to give more details.