VIRGINIA UNIVERSITIES APPLY EXPERTISE, RESOURCES TO COVID-19 ISSUES The threat presented by the novel coronavirus and its related illness, COVID-19, has sent researchers at universities across the country into overdrive attempting to develop treatments and other ways to mitigate the damage. Here are some illustrative examples of how Virginia universities are using their expertise and research capabilities in the fight against COVID-19. REPURPOSED ROBOT ALLOWS UVA TO REUSE PPE To reduce pressure on a strained supply chain, many Virginia manufacturers have shifted production from existing product lines to personal protective equipment or materials used to manufacture it. The University of Virginia Medical Center is attacking the problem another way. UVA Medical Center staff identified a robot, Tru-D — short for Total Room Ultraviolet Disinfection — normally used to disinfect patient rooms, and created a system in which the robot could
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disinfect personal protective equipment within a specialized chamber created in a repurposed classroom. The setup allows Tru-D to disinfect hundreds of masks in a 20-minute cycle, allowing the reuse of approximately 6,000 masks each day. “We have never in our lives been faced with anything like this, and drastic times require drastic measures,” said Dr. Carlene Muto, assistant professor of infectious diseases and international health at UVA. “It’s really forced people to be innovative thinkers. There has never been a time where the need was so great.”