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 In 2020 Coronavirus deaths superseded those from TB, but TB is a disease of poverty which kills 1.5m people worldwide every year, most aged between 20 and 40.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
27