Development Of an Affordable Negative-Pressure Full-Body Isolation Pod for Covid-19 Patient Transportation

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are known to be at a high risk of being exposed to the SARS-CoV-2, or the COVID-19 virus because they are required to interact with their patients at a distance of less than two meters, for more than ten minutes at a time. Due to limited resources, most HCWs are inadequately protected. This study describes the development and the performance of an affordable full-body isolation pod (isopod). The isopod structure consists of composite side panels and aluminum poles and strips. A clear tarpaulin sheet is used to seal its structure. Two identical a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters are used to filter the air that goes through the isopod while the pressure inside it is maintained within the range described by the Airborne Infection Isolation (AII) room of the United Stated of America Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This isopod could be the solution for hospitals in developing countries to enhance the protection among HCWs from the deadly virus since it is attainable and satisfies the CDC requirements.