Body suits, sanitizers, and N99 masks: DRDO gears up to fight coronavirus

The body suit is one of the four instruments developed by the DRDO and ready to be deployed in 'War against Corona'.

A body suit developed by India's premier research and development organisation DRDO can protect doctors and other health workers attending on Covid-19 patients.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said the body suit can shield doctors, medical staff, sanitation workers and others.

According to a DRDO statement, the body suit developed earlier for medical and paramedical staff to manage and evacuate the causalities in the event of radiological emergencies has now been converted into a full body suit to stop contamination.

"The suit is washable and has passed the ASTM International standards. The suit is widely tested by DRDO and other agencies and found suitable for the cause," it said.

Each suit costs Rs 7,000. Frontier Protective Wear Pvt Ltd, Kolkata and Medikit Pvt Ltd, Mumbai are producing 10,000 suits per day.

The body suit is one of the four instruments developed by the DRDO and ready to be deployed in 'War against Corona'.

Since COVID-19 affects pulmonary functions, it has developed critical care ventilators.

The Defence Bio-Engineering & Electro Medical Laboratory (DEBEL), Bengaluru, a DRDO lab, has identified a vendor (Scanray Tech Pvt Ltd, Mysore) to produce ventilators. "Innovation is on to create 'Multi patient ventilator' wherein several patients can be supported by a single ventilator. This innovation is expected to be available within a week," the DRDO said.

Around 5,000 ventilators will be produced in the first month and 10,000 subsequently. Each ventilator unit will cost around Rs 4 lakh.