The final batch of new foam trays to protect pre-loaded syringes holding the COVID-19 vaccine has been shipped from the Camosun Innovates site where they were developed and manufactured.
Matt Zeleny’s cousin, a public health nurse who administers vaccines, sparked the idea for the specially designed trays, crafted to each hold seven syringes safely while being transported around B.C.
She was concerned that cold-packed syringes could be jostled or accidentally depressed, said Zeleny, an applied research technologist at Camosun.
“So we proposed creating foam holders that would fit inside of the standard Igloo coolers that the health authorities use to bring the vaccines around.”
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control ordered 200 trays made at Camosun’s Interurban campus.
Zeleny bought half-inch-thick sheets of chemically-resistant polyethylene closed-cell foam measuring four feet by five feet. A commercial-grade laser cutter in the Babcock Interaction Lab at Camosun was used to cut the foam into smaller sizes with cavities for syringes.
Trays were designed with holes able to hold two dosage sizes. They can accommodate both Moderna and Pfizer syringes. The holes also provide room for fingers to grasp individual syringes.
Clear-coloured foam is for regular doses and orange foam holds children’s doses.
Trays are stackable with a rigid acrylic material separating the foam layers.
“Typically, the trays will be used to get the COVID-19 vaccine to facilities where smaller quantities, or one-off doses, are needed in people’s homes,” Zeleny said.
Camosun treats requests from the health authorities and the CDC as a priority, said Richard Gale, director of Camosun Innovates.
“We have always responded within the next 24 hours and we can usually give them what they’re asking for within two or three days, depending on whether we have the material in stock.
“We involve students in every stage of our work. So students and faculty will get involved and we’ll solve their problem using all the resources available to us at the college.”
The trays are the latest product hatched at Camosun during the pandemic. Others include medical grade face shields and a portable decontamination device. Products created to suit other fields include conditioning equipment for Olympic para-athletes and self-righting watercraft.
Typically, Camosun Innovates works with Vancouver Island businesses on research and development. It normally comes up with designs at the campus and a product is manufactured elsewhere, although some of the health-related equipment, such as the new foam trays, have been turned out at Interurban.
