Greenville hospital acquires two light emitting robots to kill COVID-19 on surfaces

GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA)–An Upstate hospital is adding an extra level of safety when it comes to cleaning their rooms following treating Coronavirus patients.

Its called the Light Strike Germ-Zapping Robot, and it can kill germs including Coronavirus on surfaces in less than five minutes.

“So this UV light this broad spectrum will kill viruses, bacteria, even mold spores,” Robert Davis, guest services lead, said.

Davis helps operate the robot at Bon Secours Hospitals and says the concept is pretty simple.

“What that does is in a matter of minutes we can use this robot in a room and it can kill Coronavirus in a matter of four to five minutes using nothing but UV light,” Davis said.

First, the team at Bon Secours will deep clean and disinfect the space.

“So we use it in offices, discharged patient rooms, ORs,” Davis said.

When that’s done, they send in the robot.

“We take the UV robot in, we’ll set it up in multiple locations throughout the room. Maybe once in the bathroom, once on either side of the bed, to make sure the light is hitting all surfaces available,” Davis said.

It emits broad spectrum UV light, including UV-C light.

“This is what the ozone typically blocks from coming to earth, and so a lot of the viruses and bacteria haven’t seen this spectrum of light before, so that’s why its effective,” Davis said.

The machine was originally sent to Italy during peak cases there, and now can be found in hundreds of facilities worldwide.

Davis says it’s all about adding an extra layer of protection for both patients and employees.

“Our team is here to help break the chain of infection,” Davis said.

Bon Secours has two of these robots, which are the only ones here in the Upstate. The brand was chosen specifically with fighting Coronavirus in mind.

“Every surface has to be clean every time in order to slow the spread of any disease, specifically COVID-19 in this case,” Davis said.

The robots were purchased by the St. Francis foundation. One will be located at the East side hospital, the other will be at the downtown location.