Short on PPE During COVID-19? Here Are Solutions

Many hospitals around the world are facing shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as N95 masks and face shields, to treat COVID-19 patients. Two research teams have come up with makeshift sterilisation solutions while one is working on self-sterilising filters.

UV Light

A team at Binghamton University has designed sterilisation stations that use ultraviolet light to kill the coronavirus on any contaminated PPE. Already set up and in use, these stations can be assembled within three hours and are equipped with large UV bulbs and foil to increase the amount of sanitising energy.

Based on data on SARS and other coronaviruses, the team built a computational model and refined the dosage. Prof. Kaiming Ye, who led the design project, says the technique proved to be effective.