If your answer is NO, then, STOP, take a minute and consider what the science says.
Early in the pandemic scientists figured out that COVID-19 spreads in aerosols, but governments and public health agencies took much longer to acknowledge this, and some (wrongly) continue to downplay the importance of airborne transmission.
If we could see COVID-19 in the air, our behaviour would be vastly different.
A contagious person expels particles containing the virus into the air we breathe, where they linger for hours, aided, and abetted by poor ventilation.
If you inhale enough particles, the virus can enter the cells in your respiratory tract and infect them.
It is possible to become infected at both short and long distances.
The closer you are to an infected person, the more concentrated the infected aerosols are, the more virus particles you inhale, and the less time it takes to receive an infectious dose.
Imagine standing in front of someone blowing cigarette smoke towards you with every word.
The closer you are to the person, the stronger the smoke.
If you are further away from the smoker, the levels of smoke build in the room over time.
Q: How can you reduce the chance of becoming infected?
By reducing or eliminating the number of virus particles that you inhale.
This can be achieved by science-backed practices that clean the air inside the places we live and work, and in our vehicles and on public transport.
Clean air technologies provide great protection even against a mutating virus.
Good ventilation can dilute the virus whilst purifiers tackle the build-up of particles reducing the overall risk of infection.
Other respiratory viruses like flu and colds are also transmitted through the air so improving the quality of the air we breathe not only helps reduce the chances of getting infected by COVID-19 but by other airborne viruses.
Q: Why should we care about preventing infection and reinfection? Isn't COVID-19 just like a cold?
Covid is a multi-systemic disease that causes long-term damage.
Infection puts people at increased risk of heart attack, stroke, cardiovascular issues, clots, brain damage, neurological conditions, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and auto-immune issues. The latest research indicates that Covid can even reactivate dormant viruses.
Letting the virus run unchecked through our homes and businesses allows it to continue mutating at a rapid pace and has major economic and healthcare implications.
Q. So why is it a strategic business risk?
I often speak with board members, shareholders and CEOs about how clean air is a competitive advantage, and for those who ignore it, a strategic business risk!
Notwithstanding disruption to supply chains, the impact on your top and bottom lines, recruitment costs, and consumer confidence, millions of workers are debilitated by Long Covid, (vaccines alone will not reverse this trend), and the cost to them and the businesses they work in is immense.
Long COVID, represents 24% of overall COVID infections in the US and is estimated to be keeping up to four million people out of the workforce.
What can you do about it?
Board members, shareholders and CEOs must take clean air seriously and record it on C-suite risk maps.
Talk with your staff and customers about why clean air is important. Show them that you value their well-being.
Amidst wider economic pressures including a tight labour market, businesses must mitigate the risks. Preventive measures, that include a proactive indoor air quality program are a good place to start.
Investors and entrepreneurs who work with my company Pure Air Today, Europe’s first broker for clean air tech already know that clean air is good business.
Customers will soon expect clean air, just as we expect clean water from our taps. If your business doesn't offer it, then we will spend our money with one that does. No, if, but, or maybe. Be the business that does!
By taking action to improve the quality of the air you breathe in your business, you can attract new customers and encourage older ones to return, safe in the knowledge that their safety is your priority.
Investing in air quality is money well spent, with benefits that go far beyond easing the health and operational challenges associated with airborne pathogens.
Pure Air Today will save you a load of hassle, time, and money.
We scour the globe for the best clean-air tech at the right price. No, if, but, or maybe.
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