Video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/w56ek2olvd4r815/VRP51800.mp4?dl=0
Thai scientists today unveiled an automatic vaccine preparation robot that speeds up jabbing by 20 per cent as the country battles rising Covid-19 cases.
The ‘Automate Vaccine’ machine sucks up the solution from glass jars and fills syringes ready for them to be injected into waiting members of the public.
Health officials claim the robot device can speed up the whole process by a fifth and allow more people to receive their AstraZeneca shots, which is the brand being administered to most of the country’s population.
Footage shows the machine being unveiled at the prestigious Faculty of Engineering at the Chulalongkorn University after being developed alongside the Department of Medical Sciences and private funders.
It can prepare 12 doses of the vaccines in just four minutes.
‘This is fast and accurate and it helps to lighten the burden on medical personnel,’ said Professor Narin Hiransuthikul.
‘Using the machine results in a 20 per cent increase in the number of vaccines being administered. It reduces the need for certain types of syringes designed to reduce the amount of vaccine left in the container. It is also safe with no contamination.’
Thailand has seen cases steadily rise as the Delta variant from India began spreading through the country in April.
There are 714,684 cases of the virus and 5,854 deaths. Around 15 per cent of the population have received at least one vaccine dose.