There are obvious signs of a major effect on the design and development of medical equipment, supplies, and instruments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Manufacturers in the medical field have been pressured to scale up production in these uncertain times to meet the increased consumer demand.
One thing is quite clear right now, until a proper vaccine is developed, distancing, hygiene, traceability, and extensive research capacities should be of the highest priority. When it comes to the hygiene sector, the cleanroom technology industry has been constantly fighting against hazardous microorganisms for several years.
As an interdisciplinary technology, cleanroom technology encompasses all areas where contamination management is essential, including the pharmaceutical, food, medical industry, hospitals, micro-technology, and automobile industries. With the Coronavirus outbreak, Cleanroom technology encountered an unprecedented demand and necessity to combat the new challenges due to the virus.
Cleanrooms have been deeply established as an integral part of manufacturing processes, as cleanliness can be ensured in their regulated and sterile conditions, avoiding possible contamination by harmful bacteria and pollutants.
The pandemic rendered the need for a myriad of supplies and set conditions very severe that cleanroom technology had to be brought to the forefront of manufacturing, development; serving as a foundation for action in keeping the virus at bay.
To contextualize the increased demand for Cleanrooms in time of the pandemic, here are some areas and methods by which Cleanroom technologies saved the day:
- Airlocks – Airlocks for workers or resources prevent microorganisms from moving from point A to point B. For example, it must be confirmed in hospitals that no contaminants pass from the isolation facility to regular hospital operations or from there to the isolation facility. Here, Cleanroom technologies provided practical approaches such as air showers that use airflows to kill adhesive contaminants or wet showers by spraying disinfectants on personnel.
- Reutilisation – Cleanroom technology paved the way for the reutilisation of resources, equipment and materials when the demand was high, and production was scarce. Decontamination and sterilization offered by Cleanrooms made this possible.
- Mobile hospitals and testing laboratories – Mobile Cleanrooms aided in setting up dismantlable medical units, isolation facilities, and testing laboratories when hospitals were out of rooms. Mobile cleanrooms allowed easy set-up and transportation in most crisis-hit areas.
- Anti-virus and research – Clean room technologies played a pivotal role in the research and study of the new viral strain. Virologists utilized cleanroom technologies in formulating and developing an anti-virus. Cleanrooms ensured proper quarantining of the hazardous organisms for breaching the research and testing facilities.
From all these, it is evident that cleanroom technologies now have newfound importance and necessity in the time of the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic undoubtedly generated the need for what CleanRooms does best – to sanitize and isolate.
Cleanroom technologies also made research and study possible – culminating in new knowledge about the virus and how to counter-attack it successfully.