The Academy of Scientific Research & Technology (ASRT) and Dettol Egypt held a virtual medical conference showcasing the most prominent scientific research to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The webinar, entitled “The Latest Science on Coronavirus & Infection Control Measures”, also discussed the means of preventing the virus. It also unveiled the latest emerging laboratory findings by the Dettol R&D Center.
Participants at the webinar included ASRT President Mahmoud Sakr, General Manager of Dettol Egypt Om Prakash, and Head of Dettol Research and Development (R&D) Center in the UK Joseph Rubino. A number of Egypt’s leading Paediatricians, Pulmonologists, Dermatologists, Clinical Pathologists, Virologists, and Microbiologists from the Universities of Cairo & Ain Shams attended the webinar together with elite scientific research experts.
The virtual medical conference was inaugurated by Sakr, who praised the Egyptian government’s endeavours to boost scientific research activities.
“Since the coronavirus outbreak, the ASRT was keen on reducing the gap between scientific research & industrial practices, linking demand with implementation & promotion of scientific research outputs,” Sakr said. “The ASRT and Dettol want to envisage new channels of cooperation with the Egyptian government through more community service initiatives, yielding prosperous investments while establishing world-class plants and laboratories in Egypt.”
Sakr noted, “The academy has integrated with all universities and research centres in Egypt, allocating investments of EGP 40m to subsidise research, development and innovation projects that alleviate the coronavirus’ implications. The research encompassed studies on genetics, epidemiology, genetic susceptibility to infection, and local manufacture of respiratory units, medical masks, disinfectants, smart gates, and smart vending devices.”
He noted that the ASRT has partially supported ongoing research at the National Research Center (NRC) and set a roadmap to redefine priorities in scientific research based on lessons learned from the pandemic.
“Following the release of the novel SARS-CoV-2 strain, Dettol R&D Center commissioned a series of independent laboratory tests with Microbac to assess the effectiveness of Dettol against the virus,” Rubino said, “Dettol assessed products proved more than 99.9% efficacy against the coronavirus. Such a ground-breaking result is to enrich Dettol’s impressive prevention record of its long-proven & tested efficacy against other contagious diseases.”
Rubino added, “We are pleased to confirm that the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC) has recognised the significance of our testing, and has published an abstract on its website emphasising the competency of Dettol’s high-end products against the novel virus.”
