China places order for one million Barrierman suits
Saturday, April 26, 2003
hongkong.scmp.com
PETER MICHAEL
The central government has ordered one million of the hi-tech Barrierman suits - with an open-ended order for more.
The suits are made from special fibre which can block the Sars virus, as well as many other diseases and contaminants.
Health authorities in Canada, Europe, the US and Australia are boosting back-orders while making contingency plans for the Sars epidemic sweeping the globe.
In Hong Kong, meanwhile, the Hospital Authority yesterday swept up the last 20,000 suits available in the entire territory.
"They are all gone," said Andy Chan, general manager of Hong Kong distributor Safetech.
"We are totally out of stock. There is a huge global demand for this product."
He said the Hospital Authority had suddenly absorbed any back stock.
However Project Shield co-sponsor DuPont has stepped in, guaranteeing to supply suits from around the world to hard-hit local health workers.
Staff at DuPont, the world's biggest producer of hi-tech protective suits, were yesterday sourcing suits from sister sites across the globe as well as reviewing production at mainland factories.
DuPont has donated 1,000 suits to the campaign in a mercy shipment due to arrive aboard a Cathay Pacific flight from Malaysia today.
A further 5,000 are being sourced for the short term from Shenzhen.
Mr Chan said the sudden rush on demand came because health authorities worldwide had finally realised that the normal surgical gowns were not protection enough against the Sars virus. |
