COVID In the Air? How a new in-air pathogen surveillance solution was used in some Wisconsin schools to detect airborne coronavirus particles

Science with a Twist

🎙️ The AerosolSense Sampler is an in-air pathogen monitoring solution. Miguel introduced the AerosolSense Sampler, a new technology that can be used in conjunction with other risk mitigation tools (masks, vaccines, testing) in the fight against COVID-19. It is designed to detect the presence of coronavirus and other airborne pathogens in the air in indoor spaces. ''So essentially, the way it works is that our tool, the AerosolSense unit, draws in air from the room it's in. And it can be deployed virtually anywhere. It'll run for 2 to 12 hours, that's what we would typically recommend. It'll create a sample, which is then analyzed via PCR. Just as you would analyze a sample for an individual to determine whether or not they are infected with the coronavirus.''

🎙️ Renvo makes the entire process more effective. As Miguel explains, when they first launched the solution, they had to take the sample to a lab and wait for up to 24 hours for the results. However, Renvo, a rapid PCR test, was developed to speed up the entire process. ''It allows us to bring it into the same space as the AerosolSense unit to be able to offer an answer as to whether or not coronavirus is present within about 30 minutes. Equally as important is that the sample transfer and preparation is very safe because it's intended to be used by virtually anyone who has the ability to follow our very brief video-based training program and to do so in a way where they are not put at significant risk of contracting the virus.''

🎙️ AerosolSense paired with other protective measures is the path to a safe school. Once they launched AerosolSense, a pilot project began involving schools. Michelle Jensen of Deerfield Community School District saw this as a fantastic opportunity to improve two-year-old mitigation strategies. At first, they only got negative results, but AerosolSense detected coronavirus in their school after three or four weeks. ''When we have a positive in the same week that we have a negative, it does tell me that people are doing the strategies that we asked. Parents are remembering to keep students home and going and getting tested as soon as possible,'' says Michelle.