What can you do to help (COVID19)...

[teammongo]

As some of you have gathered, I am involved in the Covid19 response.
I have been asked many times how individuals can help..

The many immediate problems facing health workers is
The lack of PPE - there has been a lots of "unaccounted loss" of PPE - typically by worried staff and members of the public. This has lead to securing of PPE, and severe restrictions on use. The coal face workers are not informed of stocks, which creates more uncertainty and fear.
Doctors fighting coronavirus want governments to reveal how low mask and gown supplies are
It is estimated we will need 22M sets per MONTH (5Mil/Week). To get the sense of proportion, the mask factory in shepperaton espoused on the ABC can produce 1M/YEAR. So imports are a necessity. Without sounding cheeky, maybe some of us with connections in other countries where PPE is in good supply could buy them for us and send it back...

Anyway the list is...

PPE -
a. Masks (surgical and N95 - preferably TGA approved)
b. Face shields (disposable or reusable)
c. Coveralls or gowns
d. Hoods
e. PAPR systems

2. Lack of equipment - currently a world wide problem, but the the response from government, the further back in queue we are. I have asked for some vital equipment 3 weeks ago, and cant even confirm they have been ordered!
a. Ventilators - a worldwide supply shortage , most units are made in USA, Europe and China.
b. Ultrasound machines
c. Infusion Pumps
d. Dialysis machines
e. Beds (yep Beds!)
f. monitoring systems

3. Lack of staff - doctors, nurses, wardies, physios, OT, speech therapists, social workers, AIN, caterers, admin.. the list is huge

4. Inability of move rapidly to purchase existing stocks of PPE, equipment and medicines.

If you can contribute to finding solutions to these problems, post here or PM me.

We must take a war footing, as the alternative is thousands of needless deaths.

Thanks

 

[Antoallison]

I read this on a BBC page and wondered if engineers in Australia could help ramp up production of ventilators as is happening in the UK.

NHS have 8,000 and have ordered another 8,000 domestically and internationally - but need 30,000 !

Dyson have a prototype for a new type of respirator to be made in their Wiltshire factory.

and

a consortium of manufacturers including Airbus and GKN that make parts for planes is working on ramping up existing production of ventilators.

Is this something that could be instigated here ?

 

[teammongo]

AA,
Thanks for bringing this up.

One of local universities is developing a low cost ventilator, hopefully will be ready for lab trials early next week. The other major university has chipped in, and hopefully we will have animal trial next week. We have had offers from engineering firms willing to contribute. So as the design is refined, hopefully we can go out to manufacturers throughout oz if required. The TGA have introduced some exemptions for COVID19.

Hopefully someone out on AFF is involved in manufacturing as there has been a flurry of activity designing cheap face shields, cheap reusable filter masks.

Keep safe..

TM

 

[tgh]

Nice to see your creativity in action.. there is no I in team...
I can contact personally au mfrs plastics and steel products.
My experience is that amazing stuff can be done yesterday but a tight planning/solutions/ core is needed to say do this now and that then.
Free enterprise entrepreneurs are masters at making stuff happen.
As a mid term septuagenarian I am perhaps now too old and slow.. who knows.
Feel free to pm me...

 

[kyle]

Just curious, what's the role of a speech therapist in this situation?

 

[drron]

Speech therapists are not just involved with speech disorders.In this situation with very ill patients they would be assisting in problems with swallowing,choking etc.

Glad to get the first hand info teammongo.There is obviously a crisis with physicians.Usually i would get an email for a locum physician once a week.This week more like 2 a day.Even had one hospital saying just name the dates available in the next 6 months and we'll take you.

So I have chosen to go back to Tasmania as I have worked there a lot and get on very well with nearly everybody.But a bit selfishly being 73 feel it probably is going to be less risky there than here in QLD.

 

[juddles]

..... Without sounding cheeky, maybe some of us with connections in other countries where PPE is in good supply could buy them for us and send it back...
...

I admire your dedication, but what countries have "good supply" of anything needed to combat COVID-19?? What all my associates tell me from afar is that their countries are truly stuffed also?

 

[p--and--t]

I wish I had the smallest percentage of the skills & contacts of some of the people on here and around me to really help out, but alas unless you need an elderly lackey or phone answerer or coordinator....

My contribution is to place an order (and risk a sum of money) for a quantity of surgical masks for my partner (and workmates) as they are on the front line with patients and have no masks and have been trying through "official" sources for 2 months.

The order is terribly inadequate and will not last all that long but may just possibly bridge a gap until other supplies come on line.

Fingers crossed they actually turn up.

 

[opusman]

Surely ventilator design is a solved problem, and now's not really the time to be trialling unproven (and unapproved) technology?

 

[drron]

Surely ventilator design is a solved problem, and now's not really the time to be trialling unproven (and unapproved) technology?

There are several different ventilators many of which would be protected by patent so to get industries that haven't made ventilators before up and going you would need a new,simple design.

 

[Danger]

I wish I had the smallest percentage of the skills & contacts of some of the people on here and around me to really help out, but alas unless you need an elderly lackey or phone answerer or coordinator....

I feel the same way. If only COVID-19 required a coordinated response from people with shiny loyalty cards and the knowledge to maximise a DSC, we'd have this thing beat tomorrow.

 

[Antoallison]

I saw this thread as being about what practical advice ,suggestions or help could be offered to Australians.

I don’t think @teammongo imagined it would be about debating about patents or China. There are lots of other threads in AFF for that.