Medical equipment supplier, Nanovics, recently announced the introduction of the world-famous Shield 19 range of products to help stem the spread of Covid-19 in Sri Lanka. A company spokesman said that it is the first time that a high-quality range of disinfectant products has been introduced in the country to fight the Corona virus.

CEO of Nanovics, S. Balasathiesh said that the products could be used in both homes and offices to mitigate the effects of the Corona virus. “The Shield 19 Cold Foggers or ‘bug bombs’ are the finest in protecting the key touch points against this deadly virus. They are ideal for the efficient disinfection of public spaces.”

The Nanovics product range includes the Auto-Snap Sanitizing Machine, a Disinfecting Floor Mat, Disinfecting UV Boxes and a portable Ultra Low-Capacity Nebulizer.

“The Shield 19 Auto Snap Sanitizing Home Machine can be placed in any location because it has a small footprint,” said Balasathiesh “It circulates a healthy and pleasant-smelling air. It produces a dry disinfection mist to sterilize and purify the air and improves the environment while eliminating odours. It is ideal for homes and offices,” he explained.

The World health Organisation (WHO) in its recommendations on the areas that should be prioritized for disinfection in non-healthcare settings states, “Disinfection practices are important to reduce the potential for COVID-19 virus contamination in non-healthcare settings, such as in the home, office, schools, gyms, publicly accessible buildings, faith-based community centres, markets, transportation and business settings or restaurants. High-touch surfaces in these non-healthcare settings should be identified for priority disinfection such as door and window handles, kitchen and food preparation areas, counter tops, bathroom surfaces, toilets and taps, touchscreen personal devices, personal computer keyboards, and work surfaces.”

Nanovics also have a Disinfecting Floor Mat that keeps hygienic areas free from contamination and germs. “The Sanitizing Foot Mat disinfects your footwear and protects your family from viruses and germs. It is non-slip and has a wide unbreakable surface area,” Balasathiesh said.

Researchers at Australia’s national science agency have said that the virus responsible for Covid-19 can remain infectious on surfaces such as currency (banknotes), phone screens and stainless steel for 28 days. The experiments however have been conducted in the dark and it is already known that UV light kills the virus.
Outlining the benefits of a novel piece of equipment Balasathiesh said, “We have also introduced the Shield 19 Disinfectant UV Box that can disinfect your phone and small documents or small parts. It kills 99.9% of germs and has 360-degree all-round sterilisation. The automatic sterilization is completed in just six-minutes.”

Balasathiesh said, “The WHO also says that ‘respiratory secretions or droplets expelled by infected individuals can contaminate surfaces and objects, creating fomites (contaminated surfaces). Viable SARS-CoV-2 virus and/or RNA detected by RT-PCR can be found on those surfaces for periods ranging from hours to days, depending on the ambient environment (including temperature and humidity) and the type of surface, in particular at high concentration in health care facilities where COVID-19 patients were being treated.  Therefore, transmission may also occur indirectly through touching surfaces in the immediate environment or objects contaminated with virus from an infected person (e.g. stethoscope or thermometer), followed by touching the mouth, nose, or eyes.’ In offering the Shield 19 products we have taken all this into consideration.”

“The Shield 19 disinfectant products are made to European standards and meet all the safety requirements specified by the Sri Lankan health authorities,” he said in conclusion.