A Novel Box for Aerosol and Droplet Guarding and Evacuation in Respiratory Infection (BADGER) for COVID-19 and Future Outbreaks

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected millions and killed hundreds of thousands of people worldwide as of May 2020. Healthcare providers are at increased risks of infection when caring for patients with COVID-19. The mechanism of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is still not fully understood. However, there is growing evidence for airborne spread, in addition to direct droplet and indirect contact. Here, we report on the design, construction, and testing of the BADGER (Box for Aerosol and Droplet Guarding and Evacuation in Respiratory Infection), an affordable, scalable device that contains droplets and aerosol particles. A semi-sealed environment is created inside the BADGER, which maintains at least twelve-air changes per hour using in-wall vacuum suction, and multiple hand-ports enable healthcare providers to perform essential tasks on a patient’s airway and head. Overall, the BADGER has the potential to contain large droplets and small airborne particles as demonstrated by simulated qualitative and quantitative assessments to provide an additional layer of protection for healthcare providers treating COVID-19 patients. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement HDL was supported by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Department of Surgery - University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. JK was supported by GAN and THB were supported by the National Science Foundation, Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (grant no. 1829667). KCJ is supported by the National Institute of Health T32 Training Grant NIAID (grant no. AI125231). ### Author Declarations All relevant ethical guidelines have been followed; any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained and details of the IRB/oversight body are included in the manuscript. Yes All necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable. Yes Data will be made available upon request.