After a long, stressful encounter with the COVID-19 virus, the entire world is finally relieved to get access to the vaccines. Getting a Covid-19 vaccine is essential as it protects against the COVID-19 virus. The approved vaccines are carefully evaluated for safety and efficacy. Furthermore, they also make the infection less severe if you contract the virus after vaccination.

As you get jabbed at your turn, you must know the expected side effects and practice the safety protocols before and after vaccination. We have some crucial tips for you as you wait your turn to be vaccinated.

Before vaccination

1)     Do your research

• Learn more about the different types of COVID-19 vaccines and how they work and how vaccinations are being rolled out within your area.
• Make sure you’re relying on accurate vaccine information by checking that it comes from a trustworthy source, like your Ministry of Health, WHO or UNICEF.
• Cross-check vaccine information that you find online, particularly if it comes from unknown sources.
• If you have any doubts, talk to staff at your nearest Health Facility, or a health worker. 

2)     Prepare your things

Make sure you have:

•       A mask that covers your nose and mouth – and fits tightly and comfortably. More guidance on masks here.
•       Hand sanitizer.
•       The notification you received about your appointment.
•       Your ID.
•       A travel plan, to get to your appointment on time.
•       Wear loose or short sleeves that can be rolled up easily, so that health workers have easy access to your arm.
•       Tell your health provider, or vaccinator, if you have any health issues or are taking any medications, including any pain killers.

3)     Cancel your appointment if you have COVID-19 or the symptoms

If you have COVID-19, or the symptoms, on the day of your vaccination appointment, do not go to the appointment. This is because you could spread the virus to others at the vaccination centre.

Get in touch with your vaccination centre, by message, phone or email to let them know you will not be attending your appointment because you have COVID-19 symptoms. You can get vaccinated when it has been 14 days since you last experienced COVID-19 symptoms.

At the vaccination centre

When waiting in line outside of the vaccination centre, and once you are inside:

• Keep your mask on at all times.
• Don’t touch your mask once it’s on and properly fitted.
• Keep at least 1 metre distance between yourself and others.
• Sanitise or wash your hands after touching door handles, surfaces or furniture.
• Don’t touch your face.

During vaccination

All COVID-19 vaccines, regardless of the manufacturer, are administered in the same way. The vaccine will be injected into the muscle in your upper arm. It should take no longer than a few seconds and may cause a little pain.

Keep your mask on during your appointment and turn your face away from the face of the vaccinator — to help keep you both safe. 

If you are feeling nervous or anxious:

• Remember that it is just a small prick that could save your life.
• Take slow deep breaths. 
• Look away from the needle. 

After vaccination

1)     Expect minor side effects

After being vaccinated, some side effects are normal and expected. Side effects are a sign that your body is building immune protection. 

Common side effects observed with COVID-19 vaccines include: 

• Some pain, swelling and redness on the arm where you received the vaccine  
• Chills or mild fever  
• Tiredness
• Headaches
• Joint pain or muscle ache

These side effects typically go away within a few days.

2)     Stay at the vaccination centre for the observation period

After being vaccinated you’ll need to stay in an observation area for 15-30 minutes. 

This is to monitor your reaction to the vaccine and make sure you don’t experience any severe side effects. 

Severe side effects are very rare, but could include:

• Itching 
• Fainting
• Vomiting
• Severe allergic reaction 
• Wheezing, difficulties in breathing or shortness of breath. 

Let a health worker know immediately if you experience any of these side effects.

Severe side effects, while very rare, are most likely to appear in the first 30 minutes after being vaccinated. Your stay in the observation area means qualified help is on hand in the unlikely event that you do experience any. 

3)     Prepare for your second vaccination appointment 

Most COVID-19 vaccines need 2 doses to work. This means you need to be vaccinated twice — with a gap of 4-12 weeks between the first and second dose.

Before you leave your first vaccination appointment, make sure you know the date of the second. 

It’s important that you get your second dose, even if you experienced side effects from the first — unless a vaccination provider, or your doctor, tells you not to get the second dose.

When you get home

1) Take care of yourself 

If you experience side effects, these may affect your ability to do daily activities for a few days.

Some people may develop fever, muscle pain and swelling, redness, pain or a tingling sensation at the site of injection, for 1-2 days. Make sure you’re drinking plenty of fluids. 

You can take some paracetamol to help ease any of these sensations. If you do, make sure you follow the dosage instructions from the pharmacist or provider.  

If your symptoms are more severe, or last longer than a week, tell the health workers who gave you the vaccine. 

2) Care for the arm where your vaccine was injected

You can reduce any pain or discomfort in the arm where you got the vaccine, by applying a cool, clean, wet washcloth over the area.

3) Put your second vaccination appointment in your calendar

As mentioned, most COVID-19 vaccines require two doses to work. It takes time for your body to build protection and you may not be protected from the virus until two weeks after your second vaccination. 

It can be several weeks or more between your first and second appointment — so it’s important that you don’t forget!

4) Keep up preventive behaviours 

It’s important that you continue to follow preventive measures after being vaccinated. This is because COVID-19 vaccines have proven effective at stopping people developing the virus, but we don’t yet know whether they prevent people from passing infection onto others.  

Continue to protect yourself and others by:

• Wash your hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds, or hand sanitiser — as often as you can. 
• Keeping at least 1 metre distance between yourself and others. 
• Meeting people in well ventilated, or outdoor spaces 
• Wearing a mask when you can’t keep your distance from others, or are inside a public space. 

This is especially important until two weeks after your second vaccination – as during this period, your body is still building protection against the virus.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ENVIRO Group (@envirogroupasia)

Related Articles:

Covid-19 Vaccinations for Malaysia

Enhancing public trust in COVID-19 vaccination: The Role of Governments

Mold are a form of fungus. There are many different types, and they can occur both indoors and outdoors. Mold produce spores, which spread by floating around in the air. Mold spores are present in all indoor environments. There is no way to prevent spores, and they can persist in conditions where mold itself cannot grow.

Mold spores thrive in environments that are moist and warm, so when they land on a damp spot, they begin to grow. Mold can grow on a variety of different surfaces, including fabric, paper, wood, glass, and plastic. As they grow, they may digest the material they are growing on.

Types of mold

Common indoor mold are including:

Alternaria: This occurs in damp places indoors, such as showers or under leaky sinks.

Aspergillus: This often grows indoors, on dust, powdery food items, and building materials, such as drywall.

Cladosporium: This can grow in either cool or warm areas. It tends to appear on fabrics and wood surfaces.

Penicillium: This tends to grow on materials with water damage. It often has a blue or green appearance.

Mold take a variety of forms and textures. They can be white, black, yellow, blue, or green and often look like discoloration or stain to a surface. They can also have a velvety, fuzzy, or rough appearance, depending on the type of mold and where it is growing.

Common Health Issue related to mold?

The following health conditions are associated with mold exposure:

• Allergies: Symptoms include sneezing; irritation of the nose, mouth or throat; nasal stuffiness and runny nose; and red, itchy or watery eyes. For employees who already have allergies, mold can trigger asthma-related symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing or coughing.
• Hypersensitivity pneumonitis: HP is lung inflammation that occurs in people who develop immune system sensitization to inhaled organic dust. It can be mistaken for pneumonia, but cannot be treated with antibiotics. With continued exposure, the persistent lung inflammation may cause permanent damage.
• Asthma: With this lung disease, the airways develop inflammation in response to sensitizing or irritating exposure. Asthma sufferers may experience shortness of breath, coughing, chest tightness and wheezing.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ENVIRO Group (@envirogroupasia)

If employees suspect workplace exposure to mold is affecting their health, we would advise them to immediately report all concerns to their supervisor, visit their doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment, and ask their doctor whether they should be medically restricted from the work environment.

If supervisors suspect mold is causing health problems among their employees, they should:

• Regularly inspect buildings for dampness.
• Prevent high indoor humidity with HVAC systems.
• Always respond when employees report health concerns.
• Establish procedures for recording and responding to indoor air quality complaints.
• Develop a plan for response and perform remedial action.
• Follow up to ensure corrective action has been successful.
• Encourage employees who have developed persistent or worsening respiratory symptoms to see a health care provider.
• Follow health care provider recommendations for relocation of employees diagnosed with building-related respiratory disease.

Related Articles:

https://envirogroup.asia/mold-removal-service/

Mold Contamination and Health

It is important that the AHU is operated as well as maintained with the right seriousness and as per laid down procedures. Here’s the detailed guidelines.

An Air Handling Unit (AHU) is an important component of the air conditioning system as it enables large spaces to be cooled simultaneously and also aids in maintaining the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). Each building will have a number of AHUs and the quality of the air that goes into the workspace will depend a great deal on the health of the AHU and its associated components. Another key aspect is how effectively the AHU is maintained – more often than not, this is a low priority area for HVAC system operators that lead to poor IAQ issues inside the workspace.

The COVID 19 pandemic has put more focus on the AHU due to the concerns related to spread of the infection within the office space and hence it is even more important that the AHU is operated as well as maintained with the right seriousness and as per laid down procedures.

How Often Are HVAC Inspections Needed?

Ideally, your HVAC should be inspected before the start of each heating and cooling season, and in special situations, such as when you’re buying a home and having the property inspected. A thorough HVAC inspection, along with seasonal preventive maintenance that includes cleaning and tuning up the equipment, is important for your peace of mind about:

Energy efficiency. Regularly inspected, tuned-up equipment can run at maximum efficiency, so you won’t experience the energy waste and higher-than-necessary utility bills that often occur when maintenance is neglected.

Breakdowns and failures. Inspections give an HVAC technician a chance to identify developing issues while they’re still minor, so you can get problems fixed before they cause a breakdown that needs an extensive repair, or worse, a component failure that requires a premature replacement.

Equipment lifespan. Just like any other kind of mechanical equipment, your HVAC components will last longer if they’re inspected regularly and receive timely preventive maintenance and care.

Safe operation. Routine inspections not only help you avoid costly repairs and early equipment failures, they also ensure that your furnace or air conditioner stays operating safely. For instance, an inspection may reveal a cracked heat exchanger or vent system blockage that sends deadly carbon monoxide into your air supply, or a wiring short circuit that poses a risk of fire.

System condition and functionality. It’s usual to have a house-wide inspection completed when buying a home, but an HVAC-specific inspection is important too. A pre-purchase HVAC inspection provides invaluable information like the approximate age and efficiency level of a home’s comfort equipment, whether it’s been well maintained, if it needs any repairs, and its expected remaining lifespan.

To maintain a great Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), it is advisable to do frequent checking on HVAC system.

Related Articles:

Enviro InteliAQ System Sees Healthier Buildings

Air Duct Cleaning Service

Why is Water Testing Important?

The coronavirus disease has affected 140,531,290 and killed 3,012,206 across 219 countries and territories in the world, according to worldometers.info.

A recent study published said that COVID-19 causing SARS-CoV-2 virus, which was thought to spread through droplets, is primarily an airborne pathogen. This study brings us a step closer to understanding the virus, the way it spreads, and what can help prevent transmission.

Though the coronavirus is still thought to spread primarily through respiratory droplets passed from person to person, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recognizing that airborne transmission is also a threat since small particles can linger in the air for minutes to hours, be inhaled, and lead to an infection.

The CDC also acknowledges that these minuscule airborne particles can travel farther than 6 feet, particularly when people are talking, singing, or even breathing heavily in indoor environments with poor ventilation.

“Improving indoor ventilation and air quality, particularly in healthcare, work, and educational environments, will help all of us to stay safe, now and in the future.”

How to protect yourself from the airborne spread 

Handwashing, physical distancing, and donning a face mask are key safety measures to protect yourself from COVID-19.

Double face masks are critical in reducing the risk of spreading or being exposed to the virus via aerosols.

Since aerosolized droplets (containing viral particles) may remain in poorly ventilated rooms for minutes to several hours, the importance of wearing a mask while indoors should strongly be considered. Besides, it is highly recommended to do Indoor Air Quality Assessment (IAQ) to ensure the ventilation system within the area is functioning.

In only a few short weeks, the emergence of the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, has created an unprecedented impact on the way we live and work. As the virus emerged, our social life was impacted badly.

While many organizations are moving to remote work, some companies work with proprietary systems or with sensitive materials that require employees, or shifts of workers, to be on-premises to get their job done well. As champions of a great work experience, we want to help everyone stay healthy in the office while sharing common workspaces.

We believe workplace wellbeing extends not just to cleaning and disinfecting the office, but to good communication and signage strategies, and healthy office culture for COVID and beyond. We hope these tips for office safety will provide both knowledge and peace of mind as we navigate this critical public health issue.

•       Regular cleaning guidance from the management or HR
•       Air quality and ventilation systems
•       Social distancing in the office
•       Communication and signage

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ENVIRO Group (@envirogroupasia)

PROPER CLEANING GUIDANCE BY MANAGEMENT

While the spread of the virus might feel unavoidable, the fact is that good cleaning and disinfection routines can greatly reduce or eliminate the risk of a viral count of COVID-19 on surfaces and objects in the office. As employers, it’s all of our duty to maintain a clean environment and make sure every person feels safe coming in every day. 

Few key points you should know before you begin:

• Use disposable gloves, gowns, a mask (like a cloth face covering) for cleaning and disinfection. Carefully remove and throw them away immediately after disinfection and trash disposal.
• Always clean before beginning disinfection. Cleaning with a detergent or soap and water solution removes particles that can carry risk of COVID-19 on surfaces. This reduces the viral load before disinfection begins, which helps the disinfectant to be more effective in killing the remaining virus.
• If using disinfecting wipes (such as Clorox or Lysol wipes) remember that to properly disinfect, you should clean only one item at a time, using enough wipes to ensure the surface stays wet for 4 minutes.
• Remember to never mix cleaning products together.
• Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces daily in common areas (e.g. tables, hard-backed chairs, doorknobs, light switches, phone receivers and keypads, remotes, handles, touchscreens, desks, toilets, sinks, elevator and elevator buttons, etc).
• Clean and disinfect shared electronics and equipment, digital signage, and touch-screen kiosks.

AIR QUALITY AND VENTILATION SYSTEMS

Offices are home to many sources of air contamination, including volatile organic compounds (from cleaning agents, furniture, and other materials), and bacteria, mold, and viruses. Poor ventilation exacerbates the presence of these contaminants.

To maintain healthy indoor environments as you phase employees back into the office, facilities need to concentrate on plumbing, ventilation, and filtration systems that filter, dilute, and remove pathogens.

Using our own experience at Enviroverks, we suggest the following air quality interventions:

• Address indoor air quality issues perceived and actual-in existing buildings
• Conduct air quality assessments, testing, design and provide engineering guidance to improve ventilation effectiveness of existing HVAC systems, support long-term air-quality monitoring, and create air-quality awareness
• Adapt controls and sequencing to accommodate and monitor additional filtration needs, and additional criteria concerning recirculated air systems
• Develop messaging and education for building occupants-dashboards, apps, situational cues-to reduce concerns regarding potential pathogen transmission

SOCIAL DISTANCING MEASURES IN THE OFFICE

For companies who require on-premise employees, social distancing in the office is required from the start, not just once offices begin to fully reopen. Getting in the habit early will give time to test what method works best for you and your team before everyone comes back to the office.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ENVIRO Group (@envirogroupasia)

Methods to consider for physical distancing: 

1. Limit who comes into the office and when with flexible hours and staggered shifts
2. Use a social distancing desk tool to make it map out what a socially distanced floor plan looks like using only desks 6ft or more apart. Assign or allow people to book their own desks based on what’s available. Determine capacity based on physical distancing accordingly.
3. Either prohibit or keep visitors to a minimum unless absolutely necessary. Prohibit personal packages delivered to the office. For snacks and coffee, and locker use, limit some, if not all, within the office to decrease the number of shared surfaces.
4. Update office design with partitions between desks and social spaces, revised seating arrangements, and directional signage like floor markers for one-way hallways and staircases. 
5. Maintain virtual meetings in the office: Repurpose every conference room into a personal office and/or storage area in the early stages of COVID-6.
6. Touchless entry: Using an access control system, every in-office employee can badge into the building using their phones.

 COMMUNICATION AND SIGNAGE ON COVID-19 IN THE WORKPLACE

They say sunshine is the best disinfectant; in this case, good communication is one of your first and best defences against the physical and emotional aspects of navigating coronavirus. Be prepared to reassure and support employees who may be going through a range of emotions and personal challenges as a result of the virus and containment efforts:

• Provide clear, concise and well-worded updates that are relevant to your location, industry, and current work culture. Communicate in a timely, calm manner.
• Offer channels for support and two-way communication. Create a space for your staff to reach out with their concerns and needs; where possible, make accommodations for specific needs that arise.
• Provide signage around the office that will keep everyone mindful of safety: good respiratory hygiene, cleaning recommendations, social distancing, and symptom checks.

In the event that you need to coordinate some of your company to work from home while others from the office, or eventually, everyone working from home, here are some tips on how to manage that transition:

• Continue to provide clear, concise and well-worded updates that are relevant to your location, industry, current work culture, and overall state of the pandemic. Communicate in a timely, calm manner.
• Make sure technology is consistent across the entire company including communication, video conferencing, project management, and collaboration tools.
• Continue to clean all spaces in the office, shared or not, and push everyone to wipe down their desks and equipment as soon as they’re done for the day. This is especially important if people are sharing spaces and if teams switch off working in the office.
• Provide hand sanitiser and personal protective equipment (PPE) across the office building and make sure everyone knows where to find both in order to mitigate the risk of spreading germs.
• Keep team communication consistent. It’s easy for team collaboration to decrease without face-to-face interaction making it that much more critical that communication is prioritized with daily or weekly posts, emails, and video calls. With that being said, be mindful of how much time you’re taking out of the workday to check-in through video calls.
• Don’t forget to value social and recharge interactions, beyond just “work talk”. Encourage digital get-togethers in the form of team lunches, happy hours, and group downtime via video calls when needed.
• Check-in with your team early and often to gauge what’s working and where people need extra support.
• Promote a work-life balance for everyone, especially working parents. Social distancing requires lots of downtime at home which can result in an unclear blend of work and non-work activities.

What is air duct contamination?

Mold, water and dirt can stick to the air ducts all across our homes and can be a possible source of harmful particles that are present in many homes which can lead to contamination within those very air ducts. Whether or not you decide to have the air ducts cleaned, committing to a good preventive maintenance program is essential to minimize the risk of duct contamination.

Besides dirt being present in air ducts, duct flooding and becoming wet in general can also cause many problems as it would become moist within the air ducts and biological growth such as mold will occur. Air ducts should be heavily considered to be cleaned if there is visible mold growth inside the ducts, insects or rodents are living in them, or the air ducts have a substantial amount of dust or dirt within them. 

The prevention of the accumulation of dirt within air ducts can be quite simple. Having a good, efficient air filter and changing its filters regularly is but one of them, and other methods include simply vacuuming and rid the house of dust regularly. Humidifiers used in the house should also be strictly adhering to what the manufacturers have recommended.

On the other hand, preventing ducts from becoming wet or flooded and possibly risking a vermin infection in the future can be a bit more complicated. The most important thing is that the air duct system is properly installed, if not this risk is greatly increased. Humidity and condensation in the cooling coils within an air duct also play a huge part in the moisture present within them, and although difficult, that condensation must be controlled. Insulation of the coils and the air ducts as well as making sure that they are dry and kept away from air conditioned sports are substantial to making sure condensation and moisture within the air ducts are controlled.

Air ducts can be hard to manage and control, but it definitely plays a part in keeping indoor air quality and health clean and safe from harmful particles, which is essential before, during and even after this pandemic.