ELUCIDAR study

The Department of Health is exploring innovative strategies to reduce the transmission of respiratory viruses in residential aged care facilities, such as COVID-19 and influenza. As part of this work, we are condtinuing a clinical trial to see if upper room germicidal ultraviolet lighting can decrease levels of COVID-19 in Victorian residential aged care facilities.

Germicidal ultraviolet lights produce ultraviolet (UV) light in the ultraviolet-C (UVC) wavelength range (100-280 nm). This wavelength of light is invisible to the human eye.

In laboratory studies, this light has been shown to successfully inactivate bacteria and viruses. An inactivated virus particle is unable to invade and infect a human cell, thus preventing infection.

For more information, see Germicidal ultraviolet light - combatting airborne virus transmission.

The ELUCIDAR study

Titled the 'Effectiveness of germicidal ultraviolet Light in an Upper room Configuration In Decreasing COVID-19 in Aged-care Residential facilities (ELUCIDAR)', this scientific trial will see if germicidal ultraviolet light can reduce the level of COVID-19 in an aged care setting.

The study will be across 61 residential aged care facilities within Melbourne and Greater Geelong who have signe up to be part of this clinical trial.

These facilities have been randomly put into two groups. One group has germicidal ultraviolet lighting installed (an intervention site) and the other group does not (a control site). This is called a cluster-randomised controlled trial. The ‘clusters’ are the aged care facilities.

The intervention sites all have germicidal ultraviolet lights (254 nm which are commercially available) installed on the ceilings. In the control sites, no germicidal ultraviolet lights are installed. This allows us to collect and compare the data between the two groups of aged care facilities.

The Burnet Institute is the research partner supporting the Department in this study, and leads a team of scientists, clinicians and clinical trial experts.

Timeline

The trial will run for 12-months from 15 November 2024 when the germicidal ultraviolet lights in the intervention group were all turned on. The lights operate day and night for the 12 month period.

Data collection

Over the 12-month study period, information on the number of respiratory infections in all facilities will be collected. This may include COVID-19, influenza, and potentially other respiratory viruses. Additional data about each facility’s operations will also be collected so we have a good understanding of relevant factors at each aged care home.

Personal or identifiable information from residents or from staff will not be collected in this study.

At the end of the trial, research experts will assess the data collected during the study period. This will show whether the germicidal ultraviolet lights installed reduced rates of COVID-19 and possibly other respiratory virus infections in the residential aged care facilities.

The results of the study will be reported back to the department. These results will help guide further public health advice. The results will also be made public and will be available to all participating aged care facilities.

Study registration and approval

The study has been registered on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR), an approved World Health Organisation register.

The Human Research Ethics Committee of the department has granted the ELUCIDAR study human research ethics approval.

Germicidal ultraviolet light installation

The lights have been installed onto the ceilings or high on the walls in the common areas, such as dining rooms and shared activity rooms. This is called ‘upper-room germicidal ultraviolet lighting’. All lighting has been installed by qualified electrical technicians into the intervention group of aged care facilities.

Safety within the study

The safety of staff and residents is paramount. Strict safety measures and procedures have been built into every aspect of the study's implementation. These measures will be monitored during the study.

The department will ensure all germicidal ultraviolet lighting and equipment has the required safety features. This includes:

a master light switch in each facility which can turn the lights off if the upper area of the room needs to be accessed.
prominent safety signage will be installed in all areas where germicidal UV lighting is installed.
trained professionals will perform regular monitoring of the UVC measurements in line with the study’s protocol. This is to ensure that the units are operating as expected and to ensure all levels of ultraviolet light meet the safety standards.
appropriate electrical certification for all work done as part of the study.
incident reporting pathways for any safety events built into the study's procedures.