Cambridge China COVID-19 Collaboration

4C-PPE Appeal

The current COVID-19 outbreak is a significant challenge for global healthcare systems. In the UK, the NHS is committed to providing adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks, goggles, gloves & gowns, for all of its staff. However, doctors, nurses and paramedics on the frontline have repeatedly raised concerns about the availability of PPE right across the country.

Our nation is running perilously short of PPE.

This is an urgent problem. With the number of COVID-19 cases set to remain high for 3-4 months, we must source the best PPE available as quickly as possible to protect our frontline healthcare workers.

Without it, they cannot care for infected patients safely.

Without it, they may become ill and spread infection themselves.

Without it, they may need to self-isolate, and right now we cannot do without them.

Without it, they put themselves and their families at serious risk; at least 200 NHS workers have tragically died.

Our aim is to make sure that there is plenty of PPE available in the UK in order to guarantee the safety and protection of healthcare staff so that they can focus on what they do best - caring for patients.

To achieve this aim, Prof. Vidal-Puig is collaborating with Prof. Sadaf Farooqi and trained nurse Angela Single to obtain high-quality PPE through a number of initiatives:

Working with established academic counterparts in Nanjing, China to purchase and quickly bring in high-quality PPE from China, approved for use in the NHS.
Working with UK academics and companies in Materials Science and Engineering to develop new high-grade respirator masks at low cost.

In May, the TVPLab and others at the IMS climbed Everest in order to raise money to achieve all of this, but we still need your support - will you donate to this cause?

We need urgent funding to acquire:

Goggles (reusable or single)
FFP2 and FFP3 masks (reusable or single-use) with additional filters for reusable
Water repellent single-use IIR standard surgical masks
Surgical gowns

What can your money do?

£150 buys the FFP3 respirator masks needed to care for 1 Intensive Care patient for 1 day.
£1,000 buys 100 pairs of scrubs for staff to wear when working with patients with COVID-19.

On behalf of our colleagues in the NHS and their families, we thank you for your support and generosity in these difficult times.

Visit our website or our social media pages to find out more, or you can donate below:

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