RCPTM has prepared disinfection for Klokánek, hospice, children’s home or health care workers in Litovel
Hand sanitizer is prepared by RCPTM staff primarily for social and medical facilities. During the first week only, they prepared roughly 300 litres. The distribution of the product takes place in collaboration with the rector’s office of Palacký University; the institutions in need receive it as a gift. Further production of disinfection, which is still lacking in many institutions at the time of the coronavirus pandemic, is dependent on the provision of raw materials, especially ethanol.
“The response from our staff was immediate. We first used our own stocks, followed by the help of colleagues from the Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research. We would be able to prepare even larger amounts, the demand is immense. However, we are limited by the lack of crucial chemicals,” said the RCPTM Deputy Director Michal Otyepka.
One of the RCPTM’s labs was already transformed into a disinfection manufacturer on Monday, March 16. The sanitizer, as recommended by the World Health Organization, was subsequently obtained by, for example, Olomouc Charity and Klokánek, Hospice in Svatý Kopeček, Spa Slatinice, Children’s Home of Chance, nursing homes for the elderly and many other health or non-profit social centres. The shipment also travelled to health care workers in Litovel, which, along with another 20 villages in the nearby area, entered a total lockdown preventing the spread of coronavirus.
“It feels great to see how much help we bring and benefit the above-mentioned institutions. It is equally necessary to appreciate the help of a number of other people, which is vital now. For example, we got immediate response to the call for empty canisters, needed for the disinfectant. This solidarity and support is great motivation for us,” said David Panáček, an RCPTM worker.
The Department of Organic Chemistry of the UP Science Faculty has also contributed to the production of the disinfectant.