Since the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed how people live across the world. While the lockdown period has already been lifted in Thailand, with businesses beginning to reopen and people starting to come out of their homes and spending more time in public places, we still have the duty to keep our guard up, maintain good hygiene, and strictly follow “new normal” practices to ensure our collective safety, such as wearing face masks when going out. Similarly, businesses and public venues also need to install safety equipment, invented or modified to suit the requirements.
 

   This issue of All Around Plastics will introduce you to some of the innovations that Chemical Business, SCG, has co-developed using its expertise on materials and design, including protective equipment for everyday use in the “new normal” era and medical equipment that simultaneously enhances the safety of both doctors and patients.
 

Staying safely protected with ready-to-use acrylic partitions.
 

   As people are beginning to spend more time outside again, partitions have become a common sight in department stores, schools, public transportation, restaurants, and even roadside food stalls. The equipment makes it possible to maintain physical distance in a limited space, helps everyone sharing that space feel safer, because it can help protect people from droplets and germs when they’re engaged in a conversation, thereby reducing transmission risks.
 

   Shinkolite’s acrylic aerosol partitions and customized acrylic partitions are made from premium-grade Shinkolite acrylic sheets,which are durable and easy to wipe down. The partitions also offer the same transparency as glass and thus great visibility, meaning that they will look aesthetically pleasing and blend in well with the environment when installed in offices of both private businesses and government agencies as well as schools, and restaurants. The partitions are available in ready-made models and can be customized for specific applications.
 

   Also available is the acrylic partition for taxis, which perfectly separates the driver from the passengers. Compatible with a wide range of car models, the partition can be easily installed by securing it to the metal posts on the headrest of the driver’s seat with cable ties and readily removed once the pandemic situation improves.
 

For more information, please contact Keerawan 0868239555 or Kitja 0625945666 or visit Facebook Page: ShinkoliteAcrylic or website: www.shinkolite.co.th.

Getting quick results with the innovative saliva-based COVID-19 test
 

   Chemicals Business, SCG, has joined hands with Ramathibodi Hospital, the inventor of a rapid saliva-based COVID-19 test, to design test kits that are suitable for mass testing. The new test not only requires less time and medical professionals to administer but also causes no irritation for patients and is cheaper than nasopharyngeal swabs. Large retail stores, offices, and factories with a large number of employees can deploy this screening test before resuming operation to ensure safety and boost confidence.
 

   A person getting tested must not eat or drink, brush their teeth, or use a mouthwash at least one hour prior to the test. They will then be required to spit about 2 cc of saliva (half a teaspoon) into a tube containing substances that keep the pathogens alive until the sample is processed and put the tube in a ziplock bag, which is then placed inside a cooler box and sent to a lab. The sample will then processed using the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), which accurately analyzes data by comparing the DNA found with the DNA of the virus. The test yields results in one day.
 

For more information, please contact medandwellness@scg.com

Providing medical care safely with innovative mobile isolation units.
 

   To ensure that doctors and nurses can provide care to patients effectively and in such a way that is safe for both parties, the Medical and Well-Being team of Chemicals Business has embarked on a collaboration with medical professionals to develop mobile isolation units. As a total service solution provider, the team has placed emphasis on collaboration in order to identify real needs to inform the development of special equipment and accessories for the prevention of pathogen transmission among healthcare workers. The initiative has resulted in five innovations as follows.
 

      Negative Pressure Isolation Room: Deployed in emergency wards, intensive care units, or patients rooms, this isolation unit uses negative pressure to prevent germs from leaking out and features a two-door antechamber in which the air pressure is stabilized and serves as an area where medical staff can change and dispose of infectious waste. The main isolation room comes with openings for inserting respiratory equipment, hooks for hanging essential devices, as well as ports for connecting with a full range of equipment, cables, and life-saving medical devices.
 

      Negative/Positive Pressure Isolation Chamber: The isolation chamber allows for contactless swab testing, can be pressurized either positively or negatively according to applications, and features glove ports that enable doctors to perform procedures from either inside or outside in accordance with the set air pressure. Each unit is also mounted with germ-capturing fillet filters and designed for great mobility as well as quick and easy installation.
 

   Patient Isolation Capsule: Designed with real usage in mind, the isolation capsule features multiple openings around the unit and an IV stand and can be attached to a medical cart. Tested by medical experts, the capsule can maintain negative air pressure for up to three hours of use by pumping out air through a filtration system with with 99.7% virus removal efficiency, thus protecting staff and others from contracting pathogens while operating the unit.
 

      Small Patient Isolation Capsule for CT scan:: The isolation capsule has been designed to have no metal frame on the top part and is used for transferring a patient into a CT scanner.
 

 
      Dent Guard Designed to reduce dentists’ exposure to droplets during dental procedures, the protective gear fits the standard dentist bed. The clear PVC panel allows dentists to see through without producing glares. The Dent Guard is sturdy, lightweight, and can be easily and quickly dismantled for disinfection.
 

For more information, please contact medandwellness@scg.com

   These innovations present only a fraction of the fruits of labor that Chemicals Business, SCG, has produced in collaboration with its partners specializing in various fields with the goal of promptly delivering products that meet customer needs and elevating the safety standards for all Thais so that we can overcome this crisis together. SCG will continue to actively develop innovations for better quality of life for all.