A new anti-coronavirus device was built recently. Researchers from the University of Houston created a virus-trapping device that could possibly kill the SARS-CoV-2 strains in the air in an enclosed area. Using the help of Medistar, a Houston-based medical real estate development firm, the team created an 'air filter' that claims to kill nearly 100% of COVID-19. Want to know how to buy one?
Do air filters help against COVID-19?
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Daily Mail UK reported on Wednesday, July 8, about a perfect solution to prevent Coronavirus spread in an enclosed place. A newly-enhanced 'air-filter' said to 'catch and kill' the virus before reaching human bodies.
Not to confuse you or anything, but this air filter is not the simple 'air filter' mostly seen on air conditioners, located inside the office or a store. Teams from the University of Houston create this air filter, collaborated with the Texas Center for Superconductivity at UH, and Medistar, a Houston-based medical real estate development firm.
Here's how it works. Air filter, by the name itself, is a device used to filter the air. It is normally seen inside air conditioning units.
Compared to the normal aircon you see in the office, this air filter is capable of reaching 392 degrees Fahrenheit. It uses nickel foam that traps the virus from coming out of the aircon. Once it enters the air filter, the SARS-CoV-2 will be trapped inside and heated with a very high-temperature.
The researchers claim that it can kill exactly 99.8% of the virus.
"This filter could be useful in airports and in airplanes, in office buildings, schools, and cruise ships to stop the spread of COVID-19," said Ren, MD Anderson Chair Professor of Physics at UH and the co-corresponding author for the paper. "Its ability to help control the spread of the virus could be very useful for society."
Why enclosed areas are dangerous for you?
A lot of theories already suggest that using air conditioners could probably spread the virus even more. Business Insider cited a report from Chinese authorities saying that air conditioners may contain Coronavirus droplets and circulate them in the air.
One example of this scenario happened in China, wherein a restaurant reported nine people that got the virus after eating inside the place. All eyes pointed out to the air-conditioning unit that may have made the virus worse.
"Air conditioners will take air and re-circulate it through the room, and it's through that mechanism that these coronavirus droplets can be transmitted," said Qingyan Chen, a mechanical engineering professor at Purdue University. "After quarantine, many people still got sick on the ship and I suspect that the air conditioning system could played a role there."
If you're going to go inside a closed area, close the AC and open the window.
