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Xenex Announces TREND - an Environmental Germ Testing Service that Enables Organizations to Quickly Determine if COVID-19 Virus is Present in their FacilitiesSurfaces contaminated with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, pose a threat to the safety of healthcare providers, schools, office workers, and essential businesses, who face the risk of contracting COVID-19 in their workplace. Environmental transmission through shedding from asymptomatic carriers is responsible for the spread of COVID-19 in certain environments. While these individuals may not feel sick, they can still shed the virus into the environment and cause COVID-19 infection in other people. In response, Xenex Disinfection Services today announced the launch of Trend™, a wastewater and environmental surface detection test for SARS-CoV-2 (the COVID-19 virus). Testing with Trend is ideal for high traffic locations to help companies validate and monitor their cleaning processes. Ideal surface testing environments include front desks/reception areas, nurse stations, waiting rooms, breakrooms, and conference rooms. Wastewater sampling is available for municipalities, nursing homes, and universities. Testing will help identify areas that may require deep cleaning, or it may determine that infection prevention protocols are sufficient and no further reinforcement is required. Xenex is working exclusively with Industrial Genetics, a Central Texas-based biotechnology startup company which developed the proprietary genetic testing technology that identifies the virus. With consultation from Xenex's scientific team about where and how to conduct the testing (utilizing Industrial Genetics' proprietary test), organizations provide a sample of wastewater and/or surface swabs for testing to determine the amount of vral load that exists in the sample. All samples are analyzed on CDC recommended equipment approved by the FDA under the Emergency Use Authorization. Customers receive a report within two to three business days once samples are received at the lab. "Industrial Genetics is proud to work with Xenex to provide our proprietary tests so that we can help people find clarity amidst all of the uncertainty," said Dr. David Sprague, Founder and President of Industrial Genetics. "By working together, we can both identify SARS-CoV-2 and provide the optimal solutions for an organization." Testing frequency can be designed to meet an organization's needs. Testing kits can include one, three, 10 or 20 swabs (one swab per surface) and they can be ordered periodically (weekly, bi-weekly) if periodic surveillance is desired. "Xenex is an evidence-based company, which is why it's exciting for us to work with Industrial Genetics to provide quality testing services for SARS-CoV-2 in the environment," said Dr. Mark Stibich, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder of Xenex. "The molecular testing technology has incredible potential to offer organizations evidence-based recommendations to support decision-making in navigating the pandemic." Organizations that find SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces within their building or in their wastewater may consider using Xenex's LightStrike™ Germ-Zapping Robots™ to quickly disinfect rooms and areas within the affected facility. The LightStrike pulsed xenon disinfection robot is the only UV room disinfection technology proven to deactivate SARS-CoV-2, and it achieved a 99.99% level of disinfection in two minutes. The SARS-CoV-2 testing results were recently peer-reviewed and published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. Different pathogens are susceptible to UVC light at different wavelengths. With broad spectrum (200-315nm) germicidal UV light, LightStrike robots quickly deactivate viruses, bacteria and spores where they are most vulnerable without damaging materials or equipment.
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