A coach belonging to the Italian Red Cross has become the world's first quarantine vehicle, reportedly capable of carrying up to 41 infectious passengers plus crew to care facilities within restricted areas such as airports.
The exterior of the biocontainment bus. Credit: Iveco
Supplied by Italian bus and coach manufacturer Iveco, the coach has been used for urgent medical transport missions in the Calabria region. A pressurised compartment surrounded by an "air envelope" prevents pathogens and air from escaping, unless it is filtered.
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The bus could come in handy for transporting large amounts of patients to hospitals or care facilities during the coronavirus pandemic, while also offering a blueprint of safely transporting passengers in future public health crises.
The crew can monitor the pressure in the chamber, carbon dioxide saturation, temperature, and state of the filters using an integrated digital interface.
At 12-metres long, the coach is roughly the size of the average transport coach, but the extra facilities mean it can hold fewer people than other similar vehicles.
In addition to the passengers, the coach has facilities to support around six care crew.
The coach is fitted with a hydraulic wheelchair lift and comes equipped with other quality of life additions to maximise the comfort of patients, including air conditioning, night lighting, audio diffusion, tinted windows, and toilets.
The company also claims the upholstery and interior have been covered with easily washable materials to ensure effective sanitisation.
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"We are very proud that the Italian Red Cross has chosen one of the Iveco Bus flagship vehicles to create this special vehicle, the first in the world", Domenico Nucera, President, Bus Business Unit of Iveco Group said.
"At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread through its variants, we are confident that this high-biocontainment vehicle will make an important contribution to reducing the risk of contamination, ensuring the safe transport of many patients".
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