Coronavirus: Sports Institute sprays Hong Kong-invented disinfectant across entire facility to protect against Covid-19
- The Germagic Thyme coating is developed jointly by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Chiaphua Industries Limited
- The Fo Tan sports academy houses up to 200 athletes and coaches who are unable to leave because of Hong Kong government restrictions
Hong Kong Sports Institute officials are hoping the application of a locally developed disinfectant will keep their elite athletes and coaches safe during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The entire Fo Tan facility was sprayed with Germagic Thyme over the weekend – an antimicrobial agent developed jointly by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), led by professor Yeung King-lun and Chiaphua Industries Limited.
“[We] have cooperated with HKUST in many aspects. We decided to use [the disinfectant] hoping
to enhance the prevention of the epidemic at the Sports Institute,” said Ron Lee Chung-man, the HKSI’s director of community relations and marketing. “We have applied the coating to all public areas of the Sports Institute and hope that all athletes and staff will have a safer training and working environment.”
Up to 200 athletes, coaches and staff are in the HKSI observing the Hong Kong government’s restricted movement rules and social distancing.
Tsang’s teammates Lee Chun-ho, Chau Ka-him and coach Rida Bel-Lahsen also tested positive after attending a training camp in Paris.
The Covid-19 coronavirus has spread rapidly across the globe after emerging in China this year and has brought almost all sport around the world to a halt, with organisers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics forced to delay the Games for one year.
The HKUST and CIL describe their Germagic Thyme as a revolutionary germicidal coating that has already been used in more than 150 day care centres, elderly homes, kindergartens and schools around Hong Kong. The MTR Corporation is also set to use the product.
Hamilton Hung, adviser to the HKUST-CIL Joint Laboratory of Innovative Environmental Health Technologies that developed the agent said the original plan was to launch the product into the retail market in the third quarter of 2020.
“The outbreak of the new coronavirus changed our plan,” Hung said. “We immediately bought the electrostatic spray equipment and provided sanitising services for hospitals, buses, schools, nursing centres and elderly homes at cost.
“Fighting the epidemic in Hong Kong is our priority. We are pleased to provide this service to the
Hong Kong Sports Institute so that our elite athletes can concentrate on their preparations [for future events].”
He said the disinfectant is proven to be effective in killing viruses, bacteria and even hard-to-kill spores and can inactivate up to 99.9 per cent of highly infectious viruses such as measles, mumps and rubella.
It can also inactivate 99.9 per cent of surrogate feline calicivirus – regarded as a gold standard for disinfection efficiency – and is more resistant than coronaviruses such as the one responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic that has killed more than 200,000 people around the world and has infected around 3 million.
“Our research team has identified thyme essential oil to be the most potent among hundreds of other natural essential oils,” HKUST-CIL said in a statement. “Thymol, a terpene from thyme, plays
the prominent role in thyme essential oil’s antimicrobial effect.”
The agent can be used on a variety of surfaces including metals, concrete, wood, glass, plastics as well as fabrics, leathers and textiles.
The mainland’s Technical Standard for Disinfection issued by the National Health Commission has determined that the disinfectant is non-toxic and is safe for the skin and environment.
Its use in hospital privacy curtains saw more than 98.7 per cent reduction in drug-resistant bacteria. It is also a Hong Kong Eco Mark product. It has also been used in shopping malls, school buses and churches.
