OU is looking to install antimicrobial machines in residence halls to combat the spread of COVID-19.
The university is waiting on approval from the OU Board of Regents — whose next meeting is Thursday — to install 2,300 antimicrobial devices to provide students with a cleaner living environment, according to a Tuesday press release.
“As we prepare for our return to in-person operations, the health and well-being of our community is our top priority,” OU President Joseph Harroz said in the release. “Adding the state-of-the-art Synexis Sphere devices to each of the rooms in our residence hall towers, along with our Clean and Green initiative to enhance cleaning protocols university-wide, are two of the ways we are diligently preparing for our return to the in-person OU experience.”
The university tested this technology in February and the testing showed a 78.6 percent reduction in surface contaminants, according to the release.
“Low-level dry hydrogen peroxide has been shown to reduce the environmental burden of bacteria, viruses and fungi of occupied rooms, which should help to reduce environmental transmission of disease,” Evan Floyd, assistant professor of occupational and environmental health in OU’s Hudson College of Public Health, said in the release. “This step to protect our students represents the university’s commitment to the safety and health of students living on campus.”
If approved, the machines will be installed in every room of the Adams, Couch and Walker towers.
