PERSPECTIVE : PROFESSOR PAUL ELKINGTON
regulators to use the product , parts were shipped to the UK and by the end of the summer they were well prepared for the second peak .
The PeRSo respirator is now standard issue at Southampton and at 16 other NHS trusts . And at £ 225 each , lightweight and reusable , it is economically viable . What ’ s more , instead of patenting their design , the team put it out on the internet for anyone to copy — an altruistic move to help others deal with COVID . Professor Elkington explains : ‘ We were all unanimous that we shouldn ’ t try to make money out of this .’ As a result , their plans have now been used to produce similar prototypes in Bangladesh , Colombia , Ethiopia and South Africa .
Professor Elkington and Hywel Morgan were awarded MBEs in the 2020 Queen ’ s Birthday Honours List for their work on the PeRSo respirator : ‘ It was questioning the status quo in terms of what PPE provisions
we could provide , and we were certainly fleet of action and of thought . It ’ s the culture of not taking things at face value , not just going down a straight railroad of thought and always looking at things from a slightly different angle .’
The roll-out of vaccines and warmer weather will diminish the COVID-19 threat , but Professor Elkington predicts it will not entirely die away : ‘ I think there will still be some grumbling Coronavirus in the background , because some people won ’ t want the vaccines and the vaccines won ’ t work for some people .’
He is back working on his primary passion . In 2020 Coronavirus deaths superseded those from TB , but TB is a disease of poverty which kills 1.5m people worldwide every year , most aged between 20 and 40 . Diseases that primarily affect the poorest can be difficult to get funding for . But having taken time out to aid the fight against COVID-19 , Professor Elkington ’ s mission now is to reduce the terrible TB death toll .
Written by MARGARET GILMORE
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