An examination of requirements for powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) utilization as an alternative to lockdown

An examination of requirements for powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) utilization as an alternative to lockdown | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article An examination of requirements for powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) utilization as an alternative to lockdown Yusak Fujii This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4708202/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 07 Jan, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Introduction With the emergence of COVID-19 variants and new viruses, is it uncertain when will the next pandemic strike to us again. The last measure to stop the spread of infection is lockdown, which causes enormous economic and social damage. It is important to find less damaging alternatives to lockdown. Objectives The feasibility of utilizing powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) as an alternative to lockdown and as a means of infection control is discussed. In particular, an outlook on the PAPR wearing rate and PAPR aerosol shielding performance, which are required to adequately control the spread of infection, is obtained. Method The PAPR wearing rate and PAPR aerosol shielding performance necessary to control infection as an alternative to lockdown is investigated using a simple simulation under limited conditions. Results When using a PAPR with 100% aerosol shielding in sir supply, the ratio of people who always wear the PAPR needed to adjust from a critical infection spread situation with the effective reproduction number R t = 2 to the target effective reproduction number R t_target = 0.9 is only 55%. When everyone wears PAPR, the reduction ratio in the probability of becoming infected by PAPR supplying air I r_in needed to adjust from a critical infection spread situation with the effective reproduction number R t = 2 to the target effective reproduction number R t_target = 0.9 is only 55%. Conclusions The possibility of utilizing PAPR as a lockdown alternative was demonstrated. Biological sciences/Biological techniques Biological sciences/Biotechnology Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences Health sciences/Diseases Health sciences/Health care Physical sciences/Engineering COVID-19 lockdown Powered Air-Purifying Respirator (PAPR) infectious dose airborne transmission emergency evacuation herd immunity Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 07 Jan, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 26 Aug, 2024 Reviews received at journal 23 Aug, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Aug, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Aug, 2024 Reviews received at journal 06 Aug, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 27 Jul, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 27 Jul, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 27 Jul, 2024 Editor invited by journal 12 Jul, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 10 Jul, 2024 First submitted to journal 08 Jul, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4708202","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":334765956,"identity":"8eb277ae-b62c-457d-936e-98fc7d43b4af","order_by":0,"name":"Yusak Fujii","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA0ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBAC9gaGhAMJFShiB/Br4TkA0nKGRC0MDIxtpDiMRyLh4YGH82oTt4sdfsDMw2Anz8B4Fr81QC0JBxK3HU/cOTvNAKgl2bCB4VwCXi32EC3HEjfcTjD/zcPADFR+xoAIW+aAtKR/ANpST6yWhhqglhyQww4ToYXnATCQjx0wBmopYJxjcNywjZBfeNhzkj/+qKmTBTpsA8Obimp5fgkCIQbUBDLzMJQDdBKbxBk8qsGAHWRmHZIAfw8hLaNgFIyCUTDCAABeIUrNMpT5jgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Gunma University","correspondingAuthor":true,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yusak","middleName":"","lastName":"Fujii","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-07-09 00:23:19","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4708202/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4708202/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82348-0","type":"published","date":"2025-01-07T15:57:17+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":73694978,"identity":"0b3e9f45-3a2c-4e12-8aa6-33862cf3678c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-01-13 16:14:21","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":450364,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4708202/v1_covered_aead89a6-b785-41c1-97b0-704128116eb8.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"An examination of requirements for powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) utilization as an alternative to lockdown","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"COVID-19, lockdown, Powered Air-Purifying Respirator (PAPR), infectious dose, airborne transmission, emergency evacuation, herd immunity","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4708202/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4708202/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIntroduction\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWith the emergence of COVID-19 variants and new viruses, is it uncertain when will the next pandemic strike to us again. The last measure to stop the spread of infection is lockdown, which causes enormous economic and social damage. It is important to find less damaging alternatives to lockdown.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eObjectives\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe feasibility of utilizing powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) as an alternative to lockdown and as a means of infection control is discussed. In particular, an outlook on the PAPR wearing rate and PAPR aerosol shielding performance, which are required to adequately control the spread of infection, is obtained.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMethod\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe PAPR wearing rate and PAPR aerosol shielding performance necessary to control infection as an alternative to lockdown is investigated using a simple simulation under limited conditions.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eResults\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen using a PAPR with 100% aerosol shielding in sir supply, the ratio of people who always wear the PAPR needed to adjust from a critical infection spread situation with the effective reproduction number \u003cb\u003eR\u003c/b\u003e\u003csub\u003e\u003cb\u003et\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e = 2 to the target effective reproduction number \u003cb\u003eR\u003c/b\u003e\u003csub\u003e\u003cb\u003et_target\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e = 0.9 is only 55%. When everyone wears PAPR, the reduction ratio in the probability of becoming infected by PAPR supplying air \u003cb\u003eI\u003c/b\u003e\u003csub\u003e\u003cb\u003er_in\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e needed to adjust from a critical infection spread situation with the effective reproduction number \u003cb\u003eR\u003c/b\u003e\u003csub\u003e\u003cb\u003et\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e = 2 to the target effective reproduction number \u003cb\u003eR\u003c/b\u003e\u003csub\u003e\u003cb\u003et_target\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e = 0.9 is only 55%.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eConclusions\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe possibility of utilizing PAPR as a lockdown alternative was demonstrated.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"An examination of requirements for powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) utilization as an alternative to lockdown","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-08-02 05:02:37","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4708202/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2024-08-27T03:43:20+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2024-08-23T17:24:03+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"322722568517747444934244618026443937555","date":"2024-08-23T17:23:51+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"177060526285203092538543648158566577685","date":"2024-08-23T17:18:13+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2024-08-06T15:43:10+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"287454464359957591185596228169132089546","date":"2024-07-27T14:11:43+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2024-07-27T13:05:42+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2024-07-27T13:04:30+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2024-07-12T07:24:42+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2024-07-10T05:30:45+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2024-07-09T00:17:48+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"9a830e0d-8eb9-4b2f-a49c-506653df7607","owner":[],"postedDate":"August 2nd, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":35451606,"name":"Biological sciences/Biological techniques"},{"id":35451607,"name":"Biological sciences/Biotechnology"},{"id":35451608,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences"},{"id":35451609,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences"},{"id":35451610,"name":"Health sciences/Diseases"},{"id":35451611,"name":"Health sciences/Health care"},{"id":35451612,"name":"Physical sciences/Engineering"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-01-13T16:11:43+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-4708202","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82348-0","journal":{"identity":"scientific-reports","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Scientific Reports"},"publishedOn":"2025-01-07 15:57:17","publishedOnDateReadable":"January 7th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2024-08-02 05:02:37","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s41598-024-82348-0","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82348-0","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4708202","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4708202","identity":"rs-4708202","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"cTy_lsJlmDsVRNrSptgXS","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}