COVID Guidance for Makers & Device Users
The Canadian Prime Minister has been calling on persons with access to 3D printers to rise to this occasion. I think we will be remembered more for what we do then for what we don’t do. In that spirit we are providing some guidance to help you decide how you can contribute and maximize our resources during this unprecedented time. I encourage you to seek out initiatives that have had expert input and review so that you are working on something that can actually make a real difference. Please check back for updated information and links as we will be updating this page as we get more current information.
I wish you all the best during this time and please stay safe.
Gary Birch, O.C.
Executive Director, Neil Squire Society
Being Relevant in a Time of Crisis
Attention Makers in Canada: Health Canada has issued restrictions regarding medical device builds, please see the following link for details.
Health Canada: Covid-19 Unconventional Manufacturing Personal Protective Equipment
As COVID 19 becomes an established reality in many communities we wanted to take the time to provide you with the best information we can. The situation is changing quickly and being a new strain of a virus the information is limited but we will strive to provide you with the facts we can as they emerge.
As makers we know you want to do something to solve the issue when you see a problem. In these uncertain times though it’s important to take a moment to make sure we pour our energy and resources into initiatives that are impactful, necessary and relevant for our communities. We have seen a lot of well intentioned initiatives to address pressing real world problems and we applaud the response from the maker community, but not all well intentioned initiatives have been relevant or well thought out solutions that should be deployed. Some makers do not understand the strict design processes for medical devices and why there are a string of seemingly endless regulations when it comes to medical products. All those regulations exist in order to make sure the products and devices meet the high standards for consistent performance, reliability and effectiveness required of products that help to save lives and that they remain sterile through the manufacturing, packaging and delivery process. That being said we know in times of crisis some difficult decisions may have to be made to address pressing and immediate needs.
Our goal by sharing the following commentary and resources is to try to help cut through all the noise and frame a discussion around how Makers can best choose what to get involved in to deliver the highest impact for their communities. We have also created an section in our Forum to enable our community to contribute and discuss as well: https://forum.makersmakingchange.com/c/covid-resources
Guidance for People With Disabilities
Last Update: April 17, 2020
As a person with a disability you are probably concerned about limiting your contact with people out in the community. We wanted to provide some guidelines on what steps you should take to continue to be able to access assistive technology from the Makers Making Change network. The recommendations below are using the best information that we have at the current time. Please recognize that information can change at a quick pace as authorities learn more about the virus. We will do the best we can to provide the most up-to-date guidance.
You can continue to request assistive technology through our website and makers in your community will be able to provide you the assistive technology that you need. We suggest you take the following steps:
- We encourage you to not meet with the volunteer maker in person. Handle the process of requesting the assistive technology and receiving the assistive technology by email and phone.
- Follow the process of receiving and disinfecting the delivered package explained below
- Handle the transfer of funds for parts for your assistive technology though electronic funds transfer or cheque if possible.
The CDC has said that “novel corona virus may remain viable for hours to days on surfaces made from a variety of materials.”[1] and COVID-19 could survive on cardboard for up to 24 hours according to a study conducted with members of the Laboratory of Virology with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). [2]
The CDC considers the risk of transmission from packages very low according to the available data as it’s mentioned at their COVID-19 FAQ that
“In general, because of poor survivability of these corona viruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures.”[3].
However, we would like to be extra-cautious and perform the best practices for persons with disabilities to receive packages from makers or vendors as persons with disabilities are considered in a higher-risk group. It’s also important to keep in mind that the way that you pick up your packages can involve contacting frequently touched surfaces which might have traces of the virus, even through there is a low risk of transmission directly from the packages.
We have put together a guideline of the best practices for you to receive packages to minimize the risk according to available information to us through various reliable resources.
- Contact the delivery service or track your package and be prepared in advance.
- Request a contact-free delivery if it’s an option.[4]
- Pay the delivery fees and taxes in advance through online tools and enable delivery without signature or online sign-in if it’s an option for you.
- Have a sign posted at the entrance of your home or building for the delivery driver to review the precautionary measures and minimize the possibility of contact as well as physical distancing measures.[5]
- Have the package dropped behind your front door or at reasonable distance of 6 feet if the package can’t fit in the mailbox.[5]
- Practice social distancing when you or the person that is assisting you go pick up your package.
- Open and dispose of outer packaging outside of your home if it’s an option. You may ask your care aid or your assistant to use gloves and immediately remove and dispose of them safely according to CDC “How to remove gloves” guidelines. [6]
- Wash and sanitize your hands immediately after handling the removal of outer packaging. Make sure your care aid or assistant sanitizes his/her hands immediately before contacting any other surfaces.
- Leave the package to open air at room temperature or higher up to 3 days if opening and disposing the package outside is not an option. Avoid contacting the package during that time.
- Use alcohol-based cleansers to disinfect touched surfaces during handling of the package such as an elevator button or the doorknob on the front door.[7]
- Disinfect the mailbox regularly with alcohol-based cleansers.
- If your building has concierge, practice social distancing when you pick up your package and thank them for their work as they are at risk as well. Always make sure the concierge has access to hand sanitizer.
- Use alcohol-based cleansers to disinfect the items inside the packages specially if the items are made of plastic or stainless steel as COVID-19 can survive on these surfaces from two to three days according to study conducted with members of the Laboratory of Virology, NIAID , and NIH.[2]
- Use Benzalkonium Antiseptic (BKZ) wipes available from a drug store to disinfect the items made of acrylic materials and do not use alcohol-based cleansers.
- Wash and sanitize your hands immediately after handling the disinfection process of the items in the package.
- You should be able to use your assistive technology normally after this cleaning and disinfecting process.
Additionally there is information on how to better set up your environment and interact with your care givers here: https://muscle.ca/2020/03/11/covid-19-what-you-should-know-about-this-novel-coronavirus/
References:
2: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.09.20033217v2
3: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html
5: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/social-distancing.html
6: https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/pdf/poster-how-to-remove-gloves.pdf
8: https://thewirecutter.com/blog/coronavirus-packages/
Guidance for AT Makers
Last Update: April 17, 2020
As Makers you are probably asking if it is safe to continue to interact with people with disabilities and continue to deliver assistive technologies to those that need it. The following guidance represents the best information that we have right now. Information can change quickly though as authorities learn more about the virus. Please check this page frequently/
It is safe to continue to work with people with disabilities in your community provided you follow some simple guidelines.
- Do not meet with the person with a disability in person. Communicate using email or phone.
- Follow the guidance on printing, building and packaging the assistive technology explained in our COVID-19 bulletin: https://makersmakingchange.com/covid-guidance-for-makers/#accordion-cleaning-sanitization-guidance-for-your-builds
- Arrange to send the assistive technology through the mail or arrange to drop it on the door step or apartment lobby of the recipient using social distancing guidelines.
- Drop the package behind the front door or at reasonable distance of 6 feet if the package can’t fit in the mailbox.[1]
- Practice social distancing when you drop off the package.
- If the person with a disability is not aware of how to handle the receipt of package you can refer them to this webpage for guidance.
- Arrange to receive the reimbursement of your materials through electronic funds transfer or cheque.
References
[1] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/social-distancing.html
Our Call To Action
We ask you to share this article and the articles referenced here with others in the maker community. We have tried to distill the facts and the best practices from all the information out there. We know it is overwhelming but it is important we make sure people are informed and acting on the most current and relevant information.
These are difficult times and we are proud to be part of the greater maker community that is doing some amazing and impactful initiatives. Here are a few places where you can join into the larger conversations:
https://www.getusppe.org/makers
https://3dprint.nih.gov/collections/covid-19-response
Hackadays How You Can Help (Google Sheet)
Open Source COVID-19 Medical Supplies (Facebook Group)