Germ-zapping robots: Your COVID-19 questions answered

We’re violation down what we need to know about a pestilence by responding your questions. You can send your questions around email during COVID@cbc.ca and we’ll answer as many as we can. We’ll tell a preference of answers each weekday on a website, and we’re also putting some of your questions to a experts on a atmosphere during The National and News Network.  

So distant we’ve perceived some-more than 20,000 emails from all corners of a country, including a series of questions about either a pathogen can be transmitted by your ears, and how UV light could be harnessed to purify personal protecting apparatus (PPE) including this doubt from Laurie D. 

Does ultraviolet light destroy a virus? Can it be used on PPE?

Sunlight emits 3 forms of Ultraviolet (UV) radiation, though usually one type, called UVC radiation, has a energy to kill viruses. UVC is filtered out by a earth’s atmosphere, though scientists detected how to artificially beget UVC to destroy microorganisms behind in 1878.  UVC is now being used to purify a lot of opposite things including celebration water, laboratory equipment and hospitals, where some health-care comforts tough strike by COVID-19 are deploying high-tech UV light robots to zap germs.

But it’s not transparent either UVC tech can be used to purify PPE. A orator for Xenex Disinfection Services, that manufactures germ-zapping robots, told CBC News some hospitals are regulating their LightStrike robots to purify N95 respirator masks so they can be reused.

“We are positively shamed to be in a position to assistance in a United States and opposite a globe,” pronounced association orator Irene Hahn.

Ron Hofmann, boss of a International Ultraviolet Association and an consultant in a use of UV light to provide water, pronounced “we’re reckoning things out on a fly.” He said new information is nearing “almost daily as we try to establish how to reuse a N95 respirator masks and other vicious PPE that was never designed to be reused.”

Other experts determine this is new domain in a quarrel opposite COVID-19. Bill Anderson, a chemical engineering highbrow during a University of Waterloo, said “since PPE differs in materials, sizes, shapes, there will always be a small doubt about disinfection.” Another plea is reckoning out how to get UV light into all a small crevices and shadows in a interior of PPE where particles of a pathogen could be hiding, he said. 

Health Canada is monitoring how singular use medical inclination such as N95 masks could be safely reused during a COVID-19 pandemic. 

Here is a list of authorized tough aspect disinfectants for use opposite COVID-19. Remember, visit palm soaking with soap and H2O for during slightest 20 seconds is your best insurance opposite a virus.

How do a doctors expect we lapse to a new normal?

Weeks have upheld given a Canadian supervision and health officials began enlivening earthy enmity and siege measures. Canadians, including Dave B., are starting to consternation what’s next. How do we lapse behind to a unchanging lives and what does that demeanour like?

Dr. Michael Curry, an puncture room alloy during Delta Hospital in Vancouver and a highbrow during a University of British Columbia, predicts we’ll lapse to “a new normal” gradually, dubbing a routine a “phased return.”

However, he explains that dual variables will impact how those phases are carried out: antibody contrast and a vaccine.

Antibody contrast “may let us know who has been unprotected to it and presumably might be defence to a COVID infection,” pronounced Dr. Curry. This could be profitable information when determining who is means to lapse to work first.

Dr. Curry also mentions a awaiting of a vaccine, that right now is estimated to be expelled in 2021.

“Good antibody contrast display defense or a vaccine would change those [phased return] skeleton dramatically.” 

You can watch some-more of Dr. Michael Curry’s answers on The National here:

Do we trust there will be a vaccine?

On a theme of vaccines, here’s a doubt from Renee answered on CBC News Network’s Morning Live with Heather Hiscox.

Dr. Isaac Bogoch, spreading illness dilettante during a University Health Network, said he is assured there will be a vaccine. 

“I unequivocally always gamble on tellurian ingenuity.”

He says there are now some-more than 40 “very competent investigate groups and vaccine-specific groups” operative on a growth of a vaccine regulating a accumulation of methods. Some have started tellurian trials. 

So will a vaccine be prepared in 12-18 months? Dr. Bogoch couldn’t confirm. “Your theory is as good as cave … though hopefully it’s earlier rather than later.” 

Can a pathogen go by your ears?

By now, you’ve substantially listened it a hundred times: Avoid touching your face since infested hands can widespread a pathogen to your mouth, eyes or nose. But Joseph T. sent us an email wondering either a pathogen can be transmitted by a ears. Here’s what we know:

A COVID-19 infection occurs when droplets containing a pathogen make hit with a mucosal membrane — the soothing linings on a eyes, nose, mouth and elsewhere — including in a center backing of a center ears, that connects to a nose and mouth. 

However, it would be doubtful coronavirus droplets could enter by that lining, said Dr. Raiyan Chowdhury, a vicious caring and ears, nose, throat specialist. 

He said the ear has several defences that defense it from viruses; a ear waterway and a ear drum strengthen a mucosal membrane. Ear polish also acts as a healthy barrier. All these defences would have to fail, or there would have to be a hole in a eardrum, for a coronavirus to enter a ear’s center lining, he said.

“It is distant some-more expected that a drop would enter by your eyes, nose or mouth rather than  by a hole in your ear drum.”

And if we are feeling nice about regulating your earbuds, he said it is not unsure unless you’re pity them with other people. 

“The earphones could afterwards act as a matrix to someone else regulating them. If they happened to hold a ear phones and get droplets on their hands, they could afterwards simply have it pierce to their eyes, nose, or mouth if they overwhelmed their face.”

Can using ibuprofen make symptoms of COVID-19 worse and start pneumonia?

This doubt comes from Terry M. 

Right now, experts contend COVID-19 patients can provide heat with ibuprofen and other drugs, notwithstanding prior difficulty on their effects. The World Health Organization has simplified that recommendation saying there’s no justification to advise regulating ibuprofen to conduct symptoms of COVID-19 will wear a condition, compared to regulating Tylenol and other acetaminophen products, for example. You can review some-more about that here.

We’re also responding your questions each night on The National. Last night, your questions included, how to conduct highlight and loneliness during a COVID-19 pandemic. Watch here:

Friday we answered questions about how to applaud Easter and Passover during a pandemic. Read here.

Keep your questions coming by emailing us during COVID@cbc.ca.

Article source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/germ-zapping-robots-your-covid-19-questions-answered-1.5531057?cmp=rss