Visors, sanitizer and fruit donated to healthcare facilities

“It is very inspiring that so many are committed and want to do something that is good for society,” says Mikael Östling , deputy president of KTH, who initiated the coordination of KTH's efforts.

For Patrick Janus, PhD student in electrical engineering, it was natural to try to contribute. He has led work in collecting and delivering isopropanol, a chemical for the production of hand spirit.

The delivery went to the Chemistry section of Stockholm University, which has ongoing production for medical care Stockholm.

“We emptied all the storage we had at three institutions, filled in cans and drove out to the university,” Janus says. “It is enough for 1,500 liters of finished hand sanitizer.

“We continue to contribute when new needs arise.”

Christina Zander, administrative manager at KTH, coordinates the efforts. She has direct contacts with the City of Stockholm and the Stockholm region for a better overview of what the needs and priorities look like.

“They can judge and distribute to those who need it most. They understand the logistics and can help us to increase volume, be more efficient and make more use of what there is,” she says.

The care needs of protective visors and transparencies have led to a feverish activity among researchers and staff. 3D printers have gone hot around KTH.

Thousands of visors have been distributed from KTH Post to health care and the elderly, mostly in the Stockholm area. But the rest of Sweden, from Malmö to Sundsvall, has also received visas to protect against contamination.

Östling hopes that the emergency response to the crisis will also stimulate new thinking:

“The fact that we already have established contacts with Stockholm city and the Stockholm region has been of great benefit,” he says. “I hope this can inspire us to deepen more long-term partnerships with relevant social partners where we can act on short notice when quick action is needed.”

Christer Gummeson