Michaela Fleming

Some help is on the way when it comes to replenishing the supply of desperately needed N95 respirators on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has 

 an emergency use authorization that will support the decontamination of 750,000 N95 respirators per day in the United States. The authorization will permit the decontamination of N95 or N95-equivalent respirators for health care workers in the hospital setting to reuse.

“Authorizing this sterilization system will make it easier for hospitals to ensure that heroic healthcare workers on the frontlines have the protection they need,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar in the announcement.

The authorization was granted to STERIS Corporation for the STERIS V-PRO 1 Plus, maX and maX2 Low Temperature Sterilization Systems. The systems use STERIS N95 Decontamination Cycle (non-lumen cycle) which features the use of vaporized hydrogen peroxide.

As part of the process, the vapor enters the sterilization chamber and penetrates the device while also sterilizing exposed surfaces. The system has the ability to process 10 respirators at a time in a process that requires about 28 minutes. For single-user reuse, each respirator can be processed up to 10 times.

According to FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, MD, this emergency authorization is a “game changer.”

“It will allow hospitals to decontaminate compatible N95 respirators using vaporized hydrogen peroxide sterilizers that are readily available in approximately 2,000 US hospitals,” Hahn said in the announcement.

 an emergency use authorization has been granted for a blood purification system. The system can be used among adult patients with coronavirus disease 2019 who have been admitted to the intensive care unit and are currently experiencing or will experience respiratory failure.

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750,000 Respirators A Day Can Be Decontaminated, Thanks to FDA Ruling

Almost from the beginning of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned about traveling and interacting with anybody who’s traveled abroad, especially to China. Today the CDC confirmed the first human-to-human transmission of the disease in the United States. It’s the spouse of the Chicago woman who caught the virus when traveling to Wuhan. Shortly after that announcement, the World Health Organization (WHO) labeled the outbreak i a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).

To date, more than 6000 cases of the 2019-nCoV have been reported worldwide. The WHO notes that approximately 1% of cases have occurred outside of China.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, WHO director-general, explained that individuals who have contracted 2019-nCoV are experiencing a wide variety of symptoms. In most patients, symptoms are milder, but approximately 1 in 5 individuals have experienced severe illness including severe pneumonia and respiratory failure.

As of January 29, 2020, there have been 

Yesterday a flight carrying approximately 210 US citizens 

 from Wuhan, China, arrived at March Air Reserve Base in California.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the aircraft was met by medical officers from the agency to evaluate the health of each passenger. The individuals were each evaluated prior to boarding the plane and along the journey.

 with the California Department of Public Health and Riverside Country Public Health to transport patients exhibiting symptoms further evaluation. Individuals who are not showing symptoms will be asked to stay at the base and provided housing to allow for CDC medical officers to continue to perform screening and to learn more about exposure.

 regarding travel to China, the hotspot and origin of the 2019-nCoV outbreak.

 that recommends that all US travelers avoid nonessential travel to the entire country of China.

The World Health Organization has just declared the outbreak a global health emergency.

Author | Michaela Fleming

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750,000 Respirators A Day Can Be Decontaminated, Thanks to FDA Ruling

First Human-to-Human Coronavirus Transmission in US Confirmed