Antiviral Personal Protective Equipment

冠状病毒通过咳嗽、打喷嚏或说话时产生的大量呼吸道飞沫传播。然后，这些传染性飞沫通过吸入气溶胶或接触受污染的污染物（如表面或其他物体）传播到接受者的粘膜表面。在卫生保健环境中，个人防护装备在阻断covid - 19等高度传染性疾病从患者向卫生保健工作者传播方面发挥着至关重要的作用。然而，研究表明，在穿衣服和脱衣服的过程中，个人防护装备也可以作为一种污染物，因为严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2 （SARS-CoV-2）可以在这些表面存活长达三天。这就需要能够提供抗病毒保护的更有效的个人防护装备材料。在本提案中，我们的目标是开发一种双作用抗病毒/防污涂层，以降低covid - 19患者将SARS-CoV-2传播给医护人员的风险。该项目将提供抗病毒/防污涂层，可以很容易地应用于可能遇到高病毒载量的个人防护用品表面，如面罩，这将对临床工作人员的健康大有好处。此外，该项目在其规划中嵌入了优化、转化和升级制造的快速途径，以在短时间内提供低成本技术。

Coronaviruses are transmitted from an infectious individual through large respiratory droplets generated by coughing, sneezing or speaking. These infectious droplets are then transmitted to the mucosal surfaces of a recipient through inhalation of the aerosol or by contact with contaminated fomites such as surfaces or other objects. In healthcare settings, personal protective equipment (PPE) plays a crucial role in interrupting the transmission of highly communicable diseases such as COVID19 from patients to healthcare workers (HCWs). However, research has shown that PPE can also act as a fomite during the donning and doffing process as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can survive on these surfaces for up to three days. This creates a need for more effective PPE materials that can provide antiviral protection. In this proposal we aim to develop a dual action antiviral/antifouling coating to lower the risk of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 to HCWs from COVID19 patients. This project will deliver antiviral/antifouling coatings that can be readily applied to PPE surfaces such as faceshields that are likely to encounter a high level of viral load and would be of great benefit to the health of clinical staff. Furthermore, this project has embedded into its planning a rapid pathway for optimisation, translation, and upscaling of manufacture to deliver a low-cost technology within a short timescale.