LETTERS: RIGHT before the Movement Control Order (MCO) was announced, face masks and hand sanitisers were out of stock in many places.
The vulnerable, such as the elderly, have the highest mortality rate among Covid-19 patients.
Our research group at Universiti Sains Malaysia has initiated a “Fight Covid-19 Mission” to prepare and distribute hand sanitisers to old folks homes and children’s homes in Penang.
The mission was joined by undergraduate and postgraduate students who prepared about 13 litres of hand sanitiser a day.
The hand sanitiser was packed into 20 bottles of 500ml each, totalling more than 130 bottles.
The next day, the team distributed the hand sanitiser to 12 charity homes in the state.
The homes include Silver Jubilee Home for the Aged, Peter’s Home Care, Penang Cheshire Home, Rumah Orang Tua Uzur Pulau Pinang, Persatuan Syukur Penyayang Pulau Pinang, Golden Petals Nursing Home, Penang Buddhist Association Senior Citizens Home, Defolka Penang Old Folks Home, Salvation Army Penang Children’s Home, Bethel Home, Asrama Ramakrishna and Peace and Harmony Home.
Caretakers at the homes were surprised by our visit and appreciated the team’s effort at a time when hand sanitiser was unavailable in many places.
The hand sanitiser was also given to those working at the university, including security staff and cafeteria operators.
The final stop was the student hostels. Hand sanitiser was given to students who stayed at the university.
During the mission, the team also shared the do’s and don’ts to curb the spread of the outbreak.
The team would like to thank Dr Veera Singham from the Universiti Sains Malaysia Centre for Chemical Biology for his generous donation to this mission.
GOH CHOON FU
Senior lecturer and leading researcher, Skin Research Group, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times