Plug-In Detector Alerts when COVID-19, Flu, Other Viruses Are Found

To help stop the spread of COVID-19, new variants and other viruses, a start-up company named Opteev has launched ViraWarn, billed as the first ever plug-in screening device for detecting airborne COVID-19 particles in indoor spaces. Opteev is a sister company of Novatec and MachineSense.

Unlike typical COVID-19 tests for humans that require a biological sample such as a nose swab to test, ViraWarn is an infection-prevention technology that uses breakthrough biosensing technology to actively screen air within indoor spaces and immediately alerts occupants when COVID-19 or other coronaviruses, such as the flu, are sensed. ViraWarn enhances indoor air quality to support safely returning to pre-pandemic in-person working, learning, worshiping, and recreating.

“With more people dying from COVID-19 in the first six months of 2021 than all of 2020, it’s clear that the pandemic is far from behind us,” says Conrad Bessemer, chairman and co-founder of Opteev. “New procedures and technologies are needed to stop the spread of COVID-19 this year while allowing people to enjoy their lives. Opteev’s mission is to deliver personal health safety in a world where we’re less tolerant of behaviors that promote virus transmission, but also eager to get back into the classroom, office, or other indoor settings. ViraWarn delivers peace of mind while helping keep groups safe.”

Adds Biplab Pal, Ph.D., co-founder and CTO at Opteev, “The science behind ViraWarn and our patent-pending technology is what makes it possible for us to proactively detect coronaviruses in real-time and alert decision makers so that they can evacuate and disinfect common indoor areas. This screening is a game changer. Before this technology was developed, we had to wait days to get test results back and by that time, it’s too late. With ViraWarn, we’re making it safer to be together indoors and helping prevent large scale virus transmission in the future.”

Like a smoke detector monitoring the air and alerting when smoke is detected, ViraWarn monitors the air and immediately alerts when coronavirus particles are detected. The patented sensor technology focuses on the unique electrochemistry of spiked protein viruses, including COVID-19 and influenza, to trigger an alert. ViraWarn modules are plugged into the electrical sockets located around the periphery of the room to provide blanket screening protection across the entire space. ViraWarn quickly detects airborne coronaviruses within minutes of them being introduced by infected individuals.

ViraWarn modules include air suction that complements a room’s existing airflow to move air through the ViraWarn detection chamber and analyzes the air to detect if a coronavirus is present. If a viral alert is triggered, a visual indication via an LED light and an audible alert immediately signal so that the room can be evacuated and disinfected in addition to having the occupants screened. A mobile app is also available for mobile notification alerts.

ViraWarn has been successfully tested throughout the recent COVID-19 crisis in lab settings and its efficacy has been proven in real world, in-person use cases. Opteev’s product suite of ViraWarn coronavirus detection devices and FeverWarn temperature scanning devices are part of a full-fledged BioViral Prevention Plan to provide strategies and products that enhance personal health safety, productivity and quality of life.

Two models are available. The light-weight, compact ViraWarn X plugs directly into an electrical outlet, mounting to the wall. ViraWarn XL is a standalone device with a larger media chamber, meaning users can go longer in between changing cartridges, which is important for uses like schools, offices and medical facilities where people are focused on their task at hand. The ViraWarn X will be available starting at $459, and XL will be available starting at $799. Shipments will start this month.