Here's how University of Warwick staff and students are helping the response to the coronavirus outbreak

Staff and students at the University of Warwick are helping in the UK-wide response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Last week the university announced five ways in which its was helping, this included:

~ donating university PPE equipment to the NHS

~ manufacturing additional sanitiser for Midlands NHS

~ making laboratories available to support University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust’s Coventry hospital's Covid-19 clinical work.

~ giving advice to the Government

~ University medical school staff supporting the NHS.

Now the University have increased their list and have now said they are helping in more than a dozen other ways in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Professor Stuart Croft, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Warwick, said: "Here are over twice as many more ways in which our students and staff are helping from ventilators, visors, and volunteering to helping produce more Covid-19 testing ,and providing online computing experiments for primary school children now learning at home.

"In many cases we can’t name the individuals as we want to leave them in peace to get on with their work but where we can they are named below.

"Once again I want to give my personal thanks to each and every one of them – they are all inspiring people that are helping us all in these difficult times.”

Here are the ways University of Warwick staff and students are now helping:

1. The Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) is helping scientists and companies develop an alternative model of ventilator

The new model, the 'exovent', is a reinvention of the 'iron lung' which saved the lives polio victims during the last century. The 'exovent' is non-invasive, which means that patients do not need to have their windpipes intubated. Instead, they can remain conscious, take medication and nutrition by mouth, and talk to loved ones on the phone. It can be used on a normal ward, keeping patients out of intensive care

2. Warwick Medical School researchers making more reagents for Covid-19 testing

Two Warwick Medical School researchers are using supplies from a campus laboratory to make more of the reagents required for Covid-19 testing which have facing been facing some supply challenges.

3. University of Warwick engineers are 3D printing hundreds of PPE face shields for the NHS

Dr Simon Leigh is working with Warwick PhD researcher Elizabeth Bishop to 3D print hundreds of PPE face shields for the NHS. They are mostly using a new face shield design by devised by Elizabeth that can be printed in six minutes using the technique she has devised in her own PhD research.

4. WMG researchers create computer experiments for young children stuck at home

5. 120 Medical students from Warwick Medical School have volunteered to join local hospitals

6. Warwick researcher advising World Health Organisation on safety and manufacture of PPE and Medical devices for use in combating Covid-19

Dr Leandro Pecchia is helping the World Health Organisation as they set minimum requirements for medical devices used to diagnose and treat Covid patients, and also the PPE employed to protect NHS nurses and doctors.

With Davide Piaggio, a PhD research student in his lab, he is also supporting manufacturers in UK and in Italy, where four companies have already converted their productions to start manufacturing PPE and medical devices.

7. Accommodating NHS staff and Warwick Medical Students working in local NHS

8. Donating food and toiletries

Donations have been given to Emmaus, a charity that supports the homeless, Coventry Food Bank and the YMCA.

9. Warwick Physicist helps medical workers in isolated places to make full face visors out of plastic drinks bottles

Dr Matthew Broome has put together a video on making a homemade full face visor from a plastic bottle.

10. Donation of University PPE items to Warwickshire NHS

They have given supplies to the South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust and the WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group) has also donated its surplus PPE stocks to local hospitals

11. Security Team give free tea and coffee to emergency services

12. Warwick Sport provide live streamed virtual fitness classes

The live streams are on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/warwicksport/13. Students and staff volunteering

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