Covid-19 Efficacy Testing

In regard to COVID-19 oversight projects, NESI has been in the forefront in developing effective cleaning and disinfection methods and procedures that are consistent with CDC published procedures, but are also site-specific for industrial and/or commercial applications. Additionally, NESI has conducted cleaning efficacy testing in collaboration with an AIHA (“CDC Elite”) accredited laboratory to test high-touch surfaces to measure the growth of a wide range of heterotrophic bacteria already present on surfaces as part of the building’s microbiota, that also have similar growth and resistance properties to the COVID-19 virus. Although the cleaning efficacy test is not a direct test for COVID-19, it serves as a very good substitute or surrogate organism to measure the cleaning effectiveness or efficacy by testing a surface pre-disinfection and comparing the results to the post-disinfection results. NESI then records the “log reduction” (LogR), which conveys how effective a disinfectant and/or cleaning procedure is at reducing the presence of microorganisms. A successful LogR would be any reduction above 0.30 (or equal to a 50% reduction). The greater the Log_R, the more effective the process is at killing bacteria, viruses and pathogens that can cause infections.