The University of Wolverhampton has produced 100 litres of surface and hand sanitisers in 24 hours to help combat shot supplies of the anti-viral cleaner.
Academics and technicians from its Pharmacy and Engineering departments have been working in their laboratories to produce anti-viral agents for frontline staff and members of the community who are volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The School of Pharmacy made a trial batch of the sanitiser for use in the university before the nation-wide lockdown on March 23 and has since upscaled its production with the help of the School of Engineering, adopting the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s methodology of making sanitisers.
The WHO recipe includes the use of ethanol, isopropyl, glycerol and hydrogen peroxide to make effective sanitisers.
Dr Colin Brown, Head of the Wolverhampton School of Pharmacy, said: “We’re excited to be able to begin producing sanitiser to a high specification on such a large scale.”
The University is currently working with local NHS Trusts, local council and healthcare providers to distribute the new supplies of sanitiser.
“We plan to continue production and get more ingredients as they become available so that we can continue supporting our community,” Brown added.
The University has provided a new ‘super lab’ at Alderley Park, Cheshire, with an advanced PCR machine for testing for COVID-19 as well as donating PPE, including gloves, safety goggles and clinical waste bags to local NHS Trusts and a hospice.
While seven Pharmacy and Public Health postgraduate students have joined front-line staff to help the fight against COVID-19, seven other independent prescribing students from the School of Pharmacy and the Faculty of Education, Health and Wellbeing, are supporting the NHS and are based in GP clinics, community pharmacies and hospitals around the region and in London.
The university has also offered student accommodations to NHS frontline stuff across its campuses.
