Can Pure Sense Cases antimicrobial additives kill COVID-19?
The 2019 novel Coronavirus outbreak (known as COVID-19) is a growing global concern. The COVID-19 outbreak is caused by a new Coronavirus strain known as SARS-CoV-2. At Pure Sense Cases, we want to clarify how the use of antimicrobial technology in our cases can combat the spread of Coronaviruses and other viruses.
As you may know, our Buddy case uses antimicrobial additives. We manufacture the cases in-house, but the additive is acquired externally. Our antimicrobial provider is SteriTouch, a UK-based company specializing in antimicrobial technology.
We wanted to partner with one of the world's leading antimicrobial experts to give our customers full confidence in the technology used in the products. SteriTouch was an excellent fit.
SteriTouch uses in-house comprehensive technological equipment to infuse our materials with their technology. All antimicrobial laboratory testing is genuinely independent and conducted externally by a third party. They also work with large companies like Sennheiser, Proporta, World Dryer and CrownPaints.
What is the purpose of making a surface antimicrobial?
Antimicrobial additives destroy bacteria that can cause contamination and infection. It can also cause the spread of bad smell and staining. Additionally, the antimicrobial effect protects our tablet cases against degradation, extending their use.
The purpose of antimicrobial additives is not to create a sterile environment. As you may know, a healthy immune system develops only with exposure to certain types of bacteria. However, bacterial infections such as MRSA, E. coli, and Listeria can be severe. The additives provided by SteriTouch act as a complementary measure to regular cleaning.
What is Coronavirus?
According to the World Health Organization, Coronaviruses (CoV) are a family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. The family includes the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).
The 2019 Novel Coronavirus, formerly known as 2019-nCoV and now known as SARS-CoV-2, is a new strain of Coronavirus. It was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China. The resulting disease is called COVID-19.
Will antimicrobial additives in Pure Sense Cases kill Coronavirus?
The Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped virus. It's so-called because of its fatty outer membrane or "envelope".
Several of the active substances used in Pure Sense Cases antimicrobial technology tested successfully against other enveloped viruses. These include Influenza, Avian flu, and SARS.
As SARS is part of the same Coronavirus group of viruses as the Novel Coronavirus, it would be reasonable to imply that the same active substances would be effective against SARS-COV-2. However, at this stage, testing against COVID-19 is currently not available.
At this challenging moment, when everyone is on lockdown in their homes, we think it is mission-critical to be fully transparent. While it would be nice to say that our cases protect against COVID-19, we cannot make this claim.
Regardless of the effectiveness of the active substances against other enveloped viruses, we can only make anti-viral claims after the SteriTouch material, and our product is tested.
We cannot infer efficacy in our material simply because an active substance has proven performance in another. The active substances used in our antimicrobial technology perform differently in various materials. Even different grades of the same material have varying results.
It means that we cannot use "generic" material certificates from SteriTouch. An anti-virus test certificate for 'EVA' (the material used to manufacture Pure Sense Cases) is irrelevant unless the testing is for our specific grade of EVA.
To make any claims about SARS-COV-2, we need to do anti-virus testing specifically for Pure Sense Cases. Irrespective of the fact that anti-viral testing is significantly more expensive than antimicrobial, testing against COVID-19 is not yet available.
What can we do to protect ourselves best?
We don't fully understand how COVID-19 spreads. It is believed that the virus transmits in the same way as other Coronaviruses - through respiratory droplets. These might be inhaled or ingested through hand to mouth contact.
For this reason, hand hygiene is of paramount importance. It is more important than the use of masks, which may be of limited benefit in preventing the inhalation of the virus. Regular and thorough hand washing, coupled with the use of sanitizing products (such as alcohol gels), is probably the best approach to minimizing infection risk.
Current advice can be found on the websites of Centers for Disease Control, NHS, and World Health Organization.
Below are other helpful resources for controlling the spread of infection:
- https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-infection-prevention-and-control/
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
- https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
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