Galveston Co. nursing home gets COVID-19 zapping robot

GALVESTON COUNTY - When the pandemic began 83 residents and employees at the Resort at Texas City nursing home tested positive for COVID-19.

Now the nursing home is going above and beyond to kill the virus.

"We did not know at all that so many people had COVID-19 so it was rather shocking," said nursing home director Jan Piveral.

The number of positive COVID-19 cases and the use of Hydroxychloroquine to treat elderly patients put the Texas City nursing home in the national spotlight.

Strategizing about infection control became atop priority.

"Making sure all the residents who are COVID-19 are isolated making sure the staff that was COVID-19 were isolated," Piveral said.

Everyone here has recovered and the nursing home says there's only been one COVID-19 death.

Now the nursing home is once again doing something unprecedented.

"This is the first time for us that we partnered with a nursing home to bring men and robots in and attack in a big way," said Doug Harrison with Xenex Disinfectant Services.

This robot is basically a COVID-19 zapper.

"Because of the power of the light that comes out we have to put it in the room and let it run then we leave the room while it's running," Harrison said.

The robot which Harrison says kills COVID-19 in just two minutes is not harmful to people but the bright light could damage your eyes.

The robot puts out a spectrum of UVC light that kills all pathogens.
Even before COVID-19 the robots were being used in hospitals all over the world including M.D. Anderson and the Mayo Clinic.