The lack of information on how Covid-19 transmission occurs inspired the team to solve the only form of transmission that is known, via the air. This virus, like others, ends up staying in the air for some time and flying to nearby areas. Liu et al. (2020) carried out an analysis of environments with major sources of contamination (hospitals) and verified the presence of the virus in its surroundings, generated due to the movement and agglomeration of people in those buildings as well as, high density living communities. The study also points out that places with a lack of ventilation (air movement systems) provide a favorable environment for the spread of the virus, thus directly affecting most public small clinics and small hospitals, especially in places of difficult access and low resources.

Bearing in mind that the transmission of viruses and contaminants can be done through their presence in the air, the team addressed the problem on how to purify the air using data provided by NASA on how ISS air systems work. Within that, the idea initially proposed was to develop devices capable of purifying the air. Subsequently, the conclusion was reached that an idea of ​​accessible and immediate application would be to block the transport of these air particles through a physical membrane.

Hello NASA, we are Covydsonn!

We'll reduce the transmission of Covid-19 from contaminated environments to surrounding open areas, since the virus remains in the air for up to 3 hours, infecting people even in quarantine, mainly in poor and isolated regions.

You Shall Not Pass, using a Do It Yourself method, employing velcro, cotton and nonwoven fabric used in N95 masks, intends to eliminate up to 95% of contamination in the outflow of air. Next stage is visually identifying the virus presence on the fabric.

Since we need to use masks, why don't these places need aswell?

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. COVID-19 Outbreak Associated with Air Conditioning in Restaurant, Guangzhou, China, 2020. Link: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/7/20-0764_article#tnF1;
2. IEEE Spectrum. Using Weak Electric Fields to Make Virus-Killing Face Masks. Link: https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/devices/using-weak-electric-fields-to-make-viruskilling-face-masks;
3. Liu et al. Aerodynamic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in two Wuhan hospitals. Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2271-3;
4. Nasa. Air Purification. Link:https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/advasc.html;
5. Nasa. Can Citizen Science and Low-Cost Sensors Help Improve Earth System Data?. Link: https://earthdata.nasa.gov/esds/competitive-programs/csesp/improve-earth-system-data;
6. Nasa. Guidelines for the Use of Respiratory Protection during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Link: https://nasapeople.nasa.gov/coronavirus/respiratory_protection_guide.pdf;
7. Nasa. Health and Air Quality Data Pathfinder. Link: https://earthdata.nasa.gov/learn/pathfinders/health-and-air-quality-data-pathfinder;
8. Nasa. Sedac - Global COVID-19 Viewer: Population Estimates by Age Group anda Sex. Link: https://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/mapping/popest/covid-19/;
9. Nasa. Sustaining Humans Beyond Earth. Link: https://www.nasa.gov/content/life-support-systems;
10. World Health Organization. Household air pollution and health. Link: https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/household-air-pollution-and-health;
11. Use of Cloth Face Coverings to Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19 https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html