Coronavirus: Battling the Spread with ADSS

As a large family of viruses, the 2019 coronavirus-Wuhan (COVID-19) has a tendency to infect bats. Then, it may jump from animals to humans through intermediate animal reservoirs. Already, tens of thousands of confirmed cases and over a thousand deaths have been confirmed worldwide from this infection. Recently, health officials have confirmed cases of the virus on U.S. soil.

Similar to Influenza A, the current threat is an enveloped virus. While this would often serve to protect the virus from possible threats, SteraMist™ features efficacy against Influenza A and similar enveloped viral threats. EPA accepted studies state that our processes and products meet the standards to respond to emerging pathogens in the enveloped and non-enveloped categories. This includes SARS, MERS, and the current outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 ***.

While animal-to-human transmission is thought to be exceedingly unlikely, this virus has now demonstrated the ability to mutate and jump from animals to humans. Following this mutation, human-to-human transmission is now possible. The genome of the virus is 96% identical to the sequence of a bat coronavirus and similar to a SARS/MERS-type virus. Along with other information, this led Chinese officials to state that patients initially contracting the illness likely ate an infected animal. This virus may spread and evolve into a pandemic, much like the 2003 outbreak of SARS, which emerged in China the year prior.

According to the CDC, the best preventative measures are to wash hands with soap and water, avoid kissing and touching eyes, noses, or mouths, and avoid close contact with those who are sick. Additionally, wearing appropriate protective gear may also assist in the prevention of infection when used properly and consistently. Finally, practicing preventative measures and employing effective disinfection and decontamination methods are essential to controlling the growing pandemic risk.

Reprinted in part through the ADSS, LLC partnership with Tomi Environmental Solutions, providers of SteraMist™.