Ahmed Jubair, Alenezi Hussain, Edirisinghe Ursula, Edirisinghe Mohan
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, WC1E 7JE UK.
Emergency Department, Charing Cross Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Fulham Palace Rd, Hammersmith, London, W6 8RF UK.
Emergent Mater. 2021;4(1):3-8. doi: 10.1007/s42247-021-00173-x. Epub 2021 Mar 17.
It will be remembered in history as the event that brought the world together with science and technology; the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed for decades worth of progression in both healthcare policies and technology development. It has been a show of unprecedented global health policies ranging from the legal requirement for public facemask use to the use of tough movement restrictions that has bought the world's economy to its knees. Here, we observe the impact of national lockdowns, facemask usage, and their effect on infection rates. It is clear that healthcare policies alone cannot tackle a pandemic. There is a huge pressure to develop personal protective equipment that not only has the capacity to prevent transmission but also has the ergonomics to be worn for long durations. In this work, we reveal our views and thoughts on the healthcare policies and developing materials and technology strategies that have contributed to reduce the damage of the pandemic, coming from the perspectives of materials scientists and a UK National Health Service consultant doctor.
它将作为一个把世界与科学技术联系在一起的事件被载入史册；新冠疫情让医疗政策和技术发展实现了几十年的进步。它展示了前所未有的全球卫生政策，从公众佩戴口罩的法律要求到实施严格的行动限制，这些措施让世界经济陷入停滞。在此，我们观察国家封锁、口罩使用情况及其对感染率的影响。很明显，仅靠医疗政策无法应对大流行。开发个人防护装备面临巨大压力，这种装备不仅要有预防传播的能力，还要在人体工程学上适合长时间佩戴。在这项工作中，我们从材料科学家和英国国民医疗服务体系顾问医生的角度，揭示我们对有助于减少疫情破坏的医疗政策以及材料和技术发展战略的看法和想法。
