Georgia Southern students make ‘key’ to help combat spread of COVID-19

STATESBORO, Ga. (WTOC) - A piece of plastic that fits in your pocket could help first responders and frontline workers reduce their chance for exposure to COVID-19. A group at Georgia Southern University’s downtown Statesboro campus says they don’t mind using their equipment to crank out devices to keep germs at arm’s reach.

Georgia Southern FabLab has figured out how to take sheets of polymer like this, turn it into dozens of keys and hopefully help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

A computer-guided router cuts lines and holes that turn a square foot piece of medical grade plastic into 21 safety keys. Leaders at the FabLab ask frontline workers at East Georgia Regional Medical Center what they needed, and this key topped the list. They got the materials and started cutting.

“We want to help mitigate and reduce the exposure for our first responders, and others touching potentially contaminated devices because it helps all of us,” Dr. Dominique Halaby said.

They took the first 100 to the hospital Thursday.

“To contain all those germs into one little area for easy disinfection, I think it’s a great way to reduce the risk of contamination in our facility,” PPE coordinator Bryan Realiza said.

Halaby said they’d rather keep equipment up and running and helping the people who’re helping everyone else. He said they’ll keep making these and distributing them as long as the materials last.

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