On-the-ground response effort also includes supporting illness detection and prevention through Lysol’s HERE for Healthy Schools Initiative
RB, the makers of Lysol®, announced today several initiatives to support Canadian communities impacted by the coronavirus. Lysol has focused on three pillars of action: fighting the spread of illness, lessening the impact on Canadians, and addressing future prevention through resources and education at home, school, and everywhere in-between.
To help fight the spread of COVID-19, this month, RB distributed medical-grade masks and disinfectant products to 50,000 frontline healthcare workers. On-the-ground response to lessen the pandemic’s overall impact on people and families included a donation to Food Banks Canada to distribute one million meals to more than 3,000 community food banks across the country. Lysol has also added new resources to its HERE for Healthy Schools initiative – a program dedicated to curbing illness in classrooms by teaching healthy habits and arming schools with the latest technology to detect quicker response and prevention of symptoms. Globally, Lysol’s mission is to keep loved ones illness-free, and during this challenging time, RB has donated more than $60M CAD to fight the spread of COVID-19.
“As we face unprecedented demand for our products, Lysol is committed to maximizing supply and production of disinfectants to ensure access and availability for families, teachers, schools, and frontline workers,” said Conor O’Brien, President and General Manager Canada, RB. “Our teams are working to ensure that we continue to be a reliable and credible source of information and protection for consumers – supporting the efforts of government and doing everything we can to fight the spread of this virus and keep communities safe.”
Product, PPE Donations for 50,000 Frontline Healthcare Workers Across Canada
RB donated 250,000 masks and 100,000 Lysol disinfectant products, including Lysol® Disinfectant Wipes and Lysol® Disinfectant Spray to 50,000 frontline healthcare workers across Canada. This donation includes aid to 4,500 healthcare workers in long-term care facilities, 37,000 nurses, doctors and other frontline healthcare staff in healthcare networks including University Health Network, Ottawa Hospital Network, South Lake Regional Health Centre, Lakeridge Health, Nova Scotia Health Authority as well as 6,000 paramedics.
One Million Meals Donated to Food Banks Across Canada
RB also donated one million meals to more than 3,000 community food banks represented by Food Banks Canada. This donation will assist with the enormous demand for community food banks for people and families affected by the pandemic. Pre-COVID-19, nearly 1.1 million Canadians visited a food bank each month. The impact of the pandemic has increased the need for these services.
New Technology in School with HERE for Healthy Schools
With the school year now in progress, and coronavirus cases on an upward swing again, teaching healthy habits to children has never been more top-of-mind for parents and teachers. While many children may be aware of the need for proper handwashing, the extent to which they’re practicing healthy habits at school may be a different story. A recent study by Ipsos revealed that just three out of ten parents (30 per cent) say that their child aged 5-10 practices these healthy handwashing habits regularly at school, while 52 percent say they only ‘somewhat’ do. Two-in-ten say their young child practices these healthy habits ‘a little’ (14 per cent) or ‘not at all’ (4 per cent)*.
Through resources such as handwashing tips, product donations, and education, HERE for Healthy Schools reinforces healthy habits for children to maintain at home and in the classroom. The initiative was developed in response to Lysol’s mission to prevent absenteeism in school due to the cold and flu. HERE now features smart technology for faster illness detection and response through a partnership with Kinsa to bring Smart Thermometers to families in 250 Canadian elementary schools to facilitate early detection. Schools accepted into the FLUency program will receive free Kinsa Smart Thermometers for families and staff, Lysol disinfectants to curb the spread of illness, and educational materials to reinforce healthy habits. Previous participants in the FLUency program saw a 27% decrease in illness-based absences during peak flu season.
Several Lysol® products, namely Lysol® Disinfectant Spray, Lysol® Disinfecting Wipes, and Lysol® Advanced Disinfecting Wipes have been approved by Health Canada to protect against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. In a peer-review study published in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC), the active ingredients in these Lysol® products were shown to be effective against SARS-CoV-2.**
