University of Waterloo chemical engineering professor Bill Anderson continues his work to mitigate the shortage of protective gear needed by healthcare workers during the COVID-19 crisis by enabling the safe re-use of existing equipment.
Professor Anderson collaborated with José G B Derraik, Elisabeth A Connelly and Yvonne C Anderson to conduct a rapid review of existing research on how long SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19, survives on the various materials used in personal protective equipment (PPE) and determine the best way to disinfect them.
Their research paper proposes a conservative two-step process for disinfecting SARS-CoV-2-infected PPE, including N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs), isolation gowns, surgical masks, face shields and goggles, so that it may be re-used. For N95 FFRs, the two independent disinfection steps include a stand-down time of at least four days (if supplies allow), followed by disinfection using ultraviolet irradiation or heat treatment.
This disinfection protocol, which can be implemented quickly in healthcare settings, is intended to address the short-term shortage of PPE and the urgent need to keep frontline workers safe as they provide care during the pandemic.
For more information, see Rapid evidence summary on SARS-CoV-2 survivorship and disinfection, and a reusable PPE protocol using a double-hit process.