Race for protection gathers speed
If any single positive has come out of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been that people all over the world have shown how they can come together to help each other in times of adversity. Hundreds of thousands have volunteered their time at food banks, donated to charity, looked after vulnerable people and set up support groups. Companies have offered funding for hospitals, and factories have altered their processes to create visors, hand wash or other products, often offering goods for free. The spotlight has also fallen on textiles; the speed at which the virus travelled meant many countries were unprepared in terms of personal protective equipment (PPE) of all kinds. From the largest factories to single people at home with sewing machines, armies responded to the call for masks, scrubs and gowns. The range of PPE and its demands are large – from disposable gloves, to cotton masks and scrubs, to the high-grade gowns and masks that need to protect hospital workers. In a WSA article later this year, technical editor Sophie Bramel will look at developments in antimicrobials, so this time we will look at how companies have formed partnerships and stepped up to the challenge of demand.
