Applications

From the early days of the COVID outbreak in the US, hospitals around the country were setting up ZipWall containment barriers to help control the flow of air on COVID floors. This powerful scene was shown on CNN’s Anderson Cooper Global Town Hall in April.

“It really is incredible how much PPE doctors and nurses have to use to properly protect themselves,“ wrote Garret Haynes, who used ZipWall barriers in a Seattle COVID ward to create ‘cold zones’ where healthcare workers do not need full PPE while still keeping an eye on the floor.

According to Dean Ianazzi, Director of Operations for the St. Anthony Hospital and Mt. Alverno Center in NY, nurses caring for COVID patients appreciate having clear plastic windows in the containment. The ability to take readings through a window cuts down on the number of times nurses have to enter patients’ rooms.

The Today Show on April 9 took viewers inside the Covid-19 ward at the Seattle-based UW Medical Center, and showed how ZipWall barriers were used to create ‘hot zones’ for coronavirus patients where PPE is required, and ‘cold zones’ where it is not. It was one of the measures taken by the hospital to keep staff safe and boost morale.

Many hospitals around the country create isolated patient rooms using ZipWall poles and flame-retardant plastic sheeting. Entries are created with self-adhesive ZipWall zippers. These temporary isolation rooms are very quick to set up. The poles are easy to disinfect and re-use, and the plastic and zippers can be discarded.

Steve R Giss, MD, FACS, a surgeon in Pierce County, WA posted this in March 2020: “Hospital Lockdown Day#2… The Calm Before the Storm? Washington State”. Similar ZipWall installations can be seen in hospitals all over the country since then as the pandemic continues to spread.

The easiest way to temporarily seal off a room during home care, or in a medical building or senior living facility, is by using the ZipDoor kit. The commercial kit features a flame-retardant plastic door cover with built-in zippers for easy access and comes with special double-sided tape that attaches it to the doorframe without causing damage.

A report that aired April 9 took viewers inside one of the first hospitals in the country to treat COVID-19 patients. The hospital took a variety of creative measures to provide a safe work environment for the hospital staff and boost morale. ZipWall barriers were part of the solution, creating special zones on the COVID ward where nurses and doctors did not need full PPE.

ZipWall products are widely used to control airborne dust during construction in healthcare facilities. But during the COVID outbreak, they are commonly used for setting up temporary barriers like the one shown here in a COVID ward, or for creating Airborne Infection Isolation Rooms (AIIRs). A ZipWall plastic isolation chamber can be set up with negative air pressure that is either exhausted to the outside or filtered through a HEPA air filter.

This ZipWall containment was set up by Garret Haynes around the nurses’ station on a COVID floor at a Seattle, WA hospital. “Thanks ZipWall for creating a versatile and simple product that makes working in a health care environment manageable.”

Inventive Garret Haynes wrote “I am certified in infection control for construction in hospital environments and have been using ZipWall products for many years… but during the COVID outbreak, I used the ZipWall poles to create ‘cold zones’ for the hospital staff on COVID ‘hot floors’ saving Seattle healthcare workers precious time and PPE.”

Posted by @abcnews April 1, 2020: “A pharmacist works behind plastic sheeting in Queens’ hard-hit Elmhurst Hospital.” Our hearts and thanks go to all health care workers and first responders.

Many dental practices are designed with an open bay layout. During COVID, many are using ZipWall plastic barriers to partition treatment areas or convert them into separate “rooms”.