jlisi984

I’ve been meaning to post this but kept on forgetting - I flew LHR YVR in mid June. Kit had the stupid eco sanitizer. Of course I used because... what else to use? Anyways, land, go through the quarantine declaration, immigration, etc. - head to domestic security. There’s a lineup, I’d like to go to the bathroom, but I decide to do it after clearing. I get a random, they swab my hands, it comes back positive!! Of course most likely due to the sanitizer, but so annoying in Covid times to then have your suitcase taken apart to the shell and wait 20 minutes as they do it..
TL;DR - wash your hands with soap and water before clearing security. Just in case.

Transpacificflyer

What changed at Spartan? Shortly after its product release it was subject to a recall
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/cana...a-expresses-2/
https://globalnews.ca/news/6899733/s...l-ahs-testing/
Spartan said Health Canada was concerned about the “efficacy of the proprietary swab” for the testing product.Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam stated a news conference that real-world trials of the test so far haven’t delivered necessary outcomes.“While the Spartan system, or the device, performed very well in a laboratory setting, and along the specifications the manufacturer had provided, it was in the real-life setting, in the clinical setting, where it didn’t perform well.”
And now Air Canada intends to use the device?

CZAMFlyer

My interpretation is that Air Canada - much like many travel & tourism related companies - is becoming increasingly desperate to regain its customer base since the floor fell out of their industry in March. They seem to be investing in something...dear God, anything that might restore public faith in the act of flying shoulder-to-shoulder with hundreds of strangers. The urgency of the pandemic's effects on much of the economy spurs many players such as Spartan to rush to develop products aimed at restoring pre-covid levels of confidence and business. Naturally, the urge towards expediency, whether for benevolent or for profitable means, will result in several iterations of product design until they 'get it right'.
Air Canada doesn't seem like it can afford to wait for the natural evolution of a cure for the disease (ie: a vaccine) and is instead relying upon various techniques ranging from basic (sanitizing their surfaces) to ineffective (temperature gun checks) to gimmicky (rapid swab tests). As long as they are seen to be doing something - even this "beta-testing your customers in real-time" initiative we're seeing - their hope is for the punters to return in numbers.

FlyerGoldII

When will spartan quick testing be approved?

When will AC then start to do rapid covid 19 testing on all passengers who might to board?

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...tan-bioscience

FlyerGoldII

Where or how or from whom do you buy face shields, safety goggles, and KN95 masks? all at T and T!

Adam Smith

Please don't waste your money on N95 masks. Unless you have been fit-tested, are wearing the correct size, and have the mask properly secured at all times, the N95 is essentially no better for you than a cloth face mask or surgical mask.

My wife is an emergency nurse, responsible for training in her department, and the above comes from her, as does the following. It was a real struggle at the beginning of the pandemic to remind doctors and nurses on how to correctly use their N95 masks, and of the hundreds of people she has seen wearing them out and about in the community, not one has been wearing the mask in a manner that would actually give them the benefit of an N95. Most people have the wrong size, and nearly everyone wears them incorrectly - wearing it tight enough that it forms a seal isn't very comfortable, so most people have them far too loose. If it's too loose, you're breathing in lots of particles from around the mask, bypassing the filter that's the whole point of the N95 mask.

So save your money and hassle and just wear a cloth or surgical mask. You will also find yourself far more comfortable.

folkart

I have heard that too about N95 masks Adam,. There is a reason that the photos of health care people taking them off have deep marks on their faces from them being tight. I was told I would have to cut off much of my beard for them to be effective too.

Adam Smith

Indeed, facial hair is generally quite problematic. A guide on what works and what doesn't can be found on the CDC website. Beards generally don't work.

I was trying to be concise in the initial post, but since we're doing a deeper dive, would also note that the more you take the mask off and on, the more you negate the advantage of the N95, both by you breathing in the unfiltered air, as well as allowing particles from the outside in to the inside of the mask.

And my wife has gone to bed, so I can't ask her for sure whether it's still the case, but for quite a while, there was a large shortage of N95s for people who actually need them, so to see them wasted by random people who managed to get their hands on them was frustrating for health care workers.

Anyway, the bottom line is, no point doing an N95 for your AC flight.

yoga

N95 masks were created for dust particles. The are not fitted and are not meant for airborne liquid pathogens.

Medical masks adhere to ASTM standards as any Nurse or Doctor would know. BFE, PFE and Blow Testing. Level 1 Level 2 and Level 3.

"Face coverings" do nothing.

The irony, they recalled some 30,000 masks made in Shanghai for being faulty. Now, how do you think they determined that? Well, the BFE and PFE levels of the masks were around 22%.

Before this pandemic, a doctor would not wear a mask that had a BFE and PFE of lower than a 98% efficacy.

So, if they are stating that these masks are faulty due to not adhering to ASTM standards... why would they recommend wearing any type of face covering except one that adheres to the standards they have relied on for decades..

BosumaJun

Recently saw a a flight report with Qatar...blew my mind what other carriers are implementing. Kind of solidifies my perspective of N/A carriers and why I try my best to avoid them.

Adam Smith

One point that didn't seem to be discussed, from one of the CleanCare+ updates, was:



Here's what that e-mail looks like:

FlyerGoldII

Does anyone have those statistics - of passengers catching covid 19 from flying AC (domestic vs transborder vs international) - in flights known to have covid 19 positive passengers flying, and more imprtantly, in flights where there was no suspicion of passengers with covid 19 fliying?

24left

.....

Aselwyn

those are just potential exposure so just a person that tested positive was onboard a flight in there last 14 days. these "exposure announcements" are not effected by any of the measures taken.

FlyerGoldII

I emailed my Health Canada contact. I was told that that spartan has not submitted the clinical trials data on the new swab - and Health Canada is not aware when the data will be submitted to them for review.