Type of Submission
Poster
Keywords
COVID-19, UV, sanitization, smart phone, masks, glasses
Proposal
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in several important societal behavioral changes (e.g., mask wearing, hand washing, and social distancing) to lessen the spread of the virus. Some of these non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) have been implemented in many parts of the world for well over a year. Many institutions began voluntarily installing gel and liquid hand sanitizing stations that eliminate bacteria and viruses from hands. These same hands, however, would almost immediately engage with personal devices (e.g., smart phones, glasses, etc.) that may already be harboring these pathogens. Another need, particularly early in the pandemic, were methods to sanitize masks for reuse in front-line institutions such as hospitals. While many high-throughput, innovative mask sanitizing methods were developed, they were not readily available to the general population. For non-medical providers, the Centers for Disease Control recommended that individuals sanitize their masks by washing them as part of their routine laundry. This recommendation would require individuals to own several masks or do laundry at non-optimal times to ensure a supply of sanitized masks. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the use of an ultraviolet (UV) sanitizing station by graduate students within the Cedarville University School of Pharmacy.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Use of a Safe Ultraviolet Sanitizing Station in the Cedarville University School of Pharmacy
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in several important societal behavioral changes (e.g., mask wearing, hand washing, and social distancing) to lessen the spread of the virus. Some of these non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) have been implemented in many parts of the world for well over a year. Many institutions began voluntarily installing gel and liquid hand sanitizing stations that eliminate bacteria and viruses from hands. These same hands, however, would almost immediately engage with personal devices (e.g., smart phones, glasses, etc.) that may already be harboring these pathogens. Another need, particularly early in the pandemic, were methods to sanitize masks for reuse in front-line institutions such as hospitals. While many high-throughput, innovative mask sanitizing methods were developed, they were not readily available to the general population. For non-medical providers, the Centers for Disease Control recommended that individuals sanitize their masks by washing them as part of their routine laundry. This recommendation would require individuals to own several masks or do laundry at non-optimal times to ensure a supply of sanitized masks. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the use of an ultraviolet (UV) sanitizing station by graduate students within the Cedarville University School of Pharmacy.
