A team of UK scientists have developed virus-killing doorpads to help prevent infection spreading in hospitals, businesses and schools.
With cases of coronavirus advancing at an accelerated rate, the Leeds University spin-out company, Surfaceskins, has invented a unique product that can prevent the spread of the virus through contaminated doors.
The product is now in mass production and available to the NHS having secured orders worth £3 million from the Middle East, Africa and South East Asia.
The door push-pads and pull-handles kill bacteria and viruses such as coronavirus in seconds to prevent it being passed on from the door to hands, even if a previous user has contaminated the surface.
Contaminated surfaces has, until now, been a vulnerability in the ability to control the spread of coronavirus through hand hygiene.
Hand washing and gel dispensers clean hands, but as soon as you touch a door, you risk picking up the virus from the many other people that have touched the door, significantly increasing contamination levels and making it difficult to avoid infection.
Surfaceskins contain an alcohol gel that kill bacteria and viruses.
They are formed of a reservoir made from three non-woven or bonded materials with a film top sheet that fits into a recyclable plastic holster, making it very easy to install and maintain.
Protection lasts for a week or 1,000 pushes before the pad needs to be replaced.
The company is now able to make more than 500 units a day to keep up with demand, with the hope of increasing that to 1,400 units per day within two months.
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