Business
Ondine cuts COVID-19 rate in food processing plant
Ondine cuts COVID-19 rate in food processing plant.
About this update from Ondine Biomedical, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"\n \n \n 7 November 2022\n \n \n \n Ondine Biomedical Inc.\n \n \n \n (\"Ondine Biomedical\", \"Ondine\" or the \"Company\")\n \n \n \n Food processing plant sees huge reduction in employee COVID-19 rates after using nasal photodisinfection\n \n \n \n \n New research suggests that nasal photodisinfection could significantly reduce employee COVID-19 positive rates at food processing facilities\n \n \n \n Research presented last week at the PDT-PDD Conference in Nancy, France showed that a large food processing plant in Manitoba, Canada, was able to reduce the rate of COVID-19 amongst its employees following the use of Ondine Biomedical's nasal photodisinfection. The rate of COVID-19 positive tests in the workforce fell from 6.4% to 0.5%, a reduction of over 10 times (p<0.0001) compared to rates in the community. The reduction in COVID-19 cases at the plant meant that food production was able to continue without disruption at a crucial time during the COVID-19 pandemic.\n \n \n Between July 2020 and August 2021, approximately 1,500 employees were nasally photodisinfected on a voluntary basis during paid work hours. Compliance with the treatment was extremely high at 85% by the end of the study period. During the study, employees used Steriwave™ nasal photodisinfection to eliminate bacteria, fungi and viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, from their noses. The nose has been shown to be the primary infection site for many infectious diseases, and eliminating pathogens from the nose has been demonstrated to reduce disease progression.[i]\n \n \n Steriwave works to eliminate nasal bacteria, viruses and fungi with a simple, 5-minute treatment. The two-step process involves\n the application of a light-activated agent to each nostril using a nasal swab, followed by illumination of the area with a specific wavelength of laser light. The light activates the photodynamic agent, causing an oxidative burst that destroys all types of pathogens.\n Analysis of 21,459 questionnaires administered to the workforce showed that the treatment caused minimal adverse events (mild runny nose in <0.4% of all patients treated). \n \n \n Food processing facilities are known to be at high risk for the transmission of infectious diseases such as COVID-19. According to a CDC report, meat and poultry processing workers experienced an increase of up t...