(Courtesy of Englewood Health) Englewood Health’s urgent care centers, physician offices and hospital lounge areas have been equipped with a powerful new sanitation tool. The Mist Shield is a device that mounts to any wall and emits a wide mist into rooms, killing 99% of airborne bacteria and viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that can lead to COVID-19.

The mist contains hypochlorous acid, a nontoxic, salt-water-based disinfectant that the Environmental Protection Agency has recognized as effective in fighting emerging pathogens. Hypochlorous acid is naturally created by the human body when white blood cells fight off infections. Outside of the body, it is commonly used to clean wounds and promote skin healing. It’s also found in common sanitization products like Lysol and Scrubbing Bubbles.

The Mist Shield uses smart aerosol technology to distill hypochlorous acid into droplets so fine that they purify the air as they float through it. When these droplets meet their inevitable end on hard surfaces and furniture, they disinfect those areas as well—all without leaving a single damp spot in their wake. The mounted console is automated to release the mist at intervals designed to optimize sanitization based on factors like time of day and average foot traffic.

“We are very sensitive to the high-touch areas and, of course, the most visible areas of the hospital,” said Peter Lucey, the director of environmental services at Englewood Health.

Englewood Health has long used innovative approaches to sanitation, but expressly so since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The implementation of the Mist Shield in Englewood Health’s locations is an additional step toward raising standards of cleanliness in all public spaces, but especially those inside healthcare settings, where patients often seek care for viral illnesses.

“It takes only one person that is carrying a virus to infect many other people whenever they are within close proximity or in a confined environment,” said Avi Soffer, CEO of Mist Shield. “So, within a working environment like a hospital, office, manufacturing facilities, gym, or even shopping and retail environments, there must be a preset, constant disinfection program in place.”