Portable negative pressure room developed by a South Korean small and medium-sized enterprise has been registered to South Korea’s national procurement system. It is expected to be a huge help in solving lack of negative pressure treatment rooms due to the spread of COVID-19.
BA Energy (President Kang Tae-young), which is a South Korean company that makes energy storage systems (ESS), announced on Monday that its “portable virus care unit (VCU)”, which can be used as a negative pressure treatment room that is lacking in numbers due to the spread of COVID-19, has been registered to the Public Procurement Service’s Korea ON-line E-Procurement System (KONEPS).
The company’s patented portable VCU is based on a safety management system. Because it modularizes a vestibule, a hospital room, and a restroom, it is able to maintain perfect negative pressure.
The unit prevents virus from leaving the unit and thus completely blocks local transmission. A portable VCU can be installed in just three weeks as it is based on structural insulated panels (SIP).
Particularly, the unit uses volatile organic compounds and it has HEPA filters installed in negative pressure machine and air supply and exhaust systems. As a result, it completely cuts off paths that COVID-19 may travel through air conditioners or by air when sterilization water is sprayed. It can also be used as an isolation room for patients who have highly contagious diseases such as COVID-19, MERS, and SARS. Because it can be filled with positive or negative pressure, it can also be utilized as a simplified operating room or a screening clinic.
BA Energy has developed its portable VCU based on its experience of supplying energy independent houses for temporary use in case of natural disasters to about 140 different locations in South Korea and foreign countries. It is also registering its portable VCU as an innovative prototype by the Public Procurement Service. It plans to supply the units to government agencies and groups through private contracts and also receive support from the government in order to enter foreign procurement markets.
“We have developed a portable VCU that can be quickly made in a large quantity in order to combat COVID-19 that continues to get worse throughout the world.” said President Kang. “We plan to supply the unit both in South Korea and other countries and help display South Korea’s excellent K-quarantine ability to the world.”
Staff Reporter Kim, Hansik | hskim@etnews.com