Female police officer invents thermal shockproof T-shirt to cool down doctors amid COVID-19

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Senior Lieutenant Le Thi Hoa, a medical staff at the Traditional Medicine Hospital came up with the idea of making a thermal shockproof T-shirt for medical workers on the frontline of the fight against the COVID pandemic who have to work under the scorching sun or in high temperature places.

Hoa shared that, wearing a protective gear is mandatory for COVID medical workers to protect themselves from being infected. However, the protective gear makes them sweat profusely, or even faint due to thermal shock in hot weather. 

The cooling dry ice packs. Photo: PL

She was pondering a question of how to help lower their body temperature of health workers. Then the idea of a thermal shockproof T-shirt popped into her mind.

Hoa shared her idea with her colleague Pham ThiHoa and received great response. After 3 days, the two female police officers completed the prototype of the first handmade thermal shockproof T-shirt.

The final product is a three-hole T-shirt with four pockets containing 4 cooling dry ice packs, each weighs 500gram. The packs are wrapped by a layer of insulation foam to prevent the ice from directly touching the human skin. They are also placed in a zip bag for water proofing.

The thermal shockproof T-shirt is worn inside the protective gear, helping regulate body temperature of health workers, cooling the body, and avoiding heat stroke when the weather is too hot.

Thermal shockproof T-shirt in the making.

Recognizing this useful initiative, especially during this harsh period of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the leaders of the Traditional Medicine Hospital quickly conduct scientific appraisal of the T-shirt and finally approved the use of this T-shirt.

After that, all medical staff of the Anti-Infection Division under the Traditional Medicine Hospital produced and distributed the T-shirt to the frontline health workers in COVID-19 hotspots such as Hanoi, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Ha Nam, Nghe An. Their briefing room soon became a “field sewing workshop”.

The thermal shockproof T-shirts made by the Traditional Medicine Hospital are effective as they effectively cool down the body temperature.

According to Major General Pham Ba Tuyen, Director of the Traditional Medicine Hospital, the unit has produced 800 thermal shockproof T-shirt and offered them to a number of health facilities and the Ministry of Health, contributing to the fight against COVID-19.

Mr. Nguyen Hai Nam, Deputy Head of the Surgery Division, Yen The District Medical Center, Bac Giang Province, said that the thermal shockproof T-shirts made by the Traditional Medicine Hospital are effective as they effectively cool down the body temperature, helping health workers feel more comfortable while working in hot weather.

He also thanked the Traditional Medicine Hospital for the initiative and meaningful product for health workers on the frontline of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.