Protective infection prevention clothing and transparent equipment capable of inactivating SARS-CoV-2 and multidrug-resistant bacteria

Face masks, face shields and other personal protective equipment (PPE) have been accepted to be an effective tool in order to avoid bacterial and viral transmission, especially against indoor aerosol transmission. However, commercial PPE are made of materials that are not capable of inactivating pathogenic particles such as SARS-CoV-2 or multidrug-resistant bacteria. In this context, we describe here the development of new antimicrobial materials that can be used in PPE manufacturing, which include composite materials with a biofunctional coating of benzalkonium chloride (BAK) or solidified hand soap. These coatings were capable of inactivating SARS-CoV-2 in less than 1 minute of viral contact. Moreover, the BAK coating was also effective against the life-threatening methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. These novel protective materials will be useful to combat the current COVID-19 pandemic in the current bacterial-resistant era.