Drone deliveries soar in rural Scotland during coronavirus outbreak
Ten weeks on from the peak of the coronavirus pandemic there are still acute shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) and Covid-19 testing kits across the UK, particularly in rural and isolated locations.
On the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides, however, the vital supplies arrive up to four times a day. They are flown in from the mainland by drone in a trial that could lead to the NHS regularly using drones to fly equipment and medical samples to many of Scotland’s roughly 90 inhabited islands.
The unmanned aircraft industry hopes that showing the public drones can help in the fight against Covid-19, perhaps even save lives by speeding up test time turnarounds, could pave the way for wider adoption of drone technology.
US investment bank Goldman Sachs believe drones could spawn a $100bn (£80bn) market if governments around the world allowed them to be used for everything from policing and border patrol to surveying vital infrastructuresuch as bridges, or even replacing moped riders to deliver pizzas and fried chicken direct to your door.
It’s not just the 2,800 people on Mull who are receiving PPE by drone in the pandemic. Another trial is carrying PPE from Lee-on-the-Solent to the Isle of Wight. Both trials required approval by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as rules ban drone flights beyond the line of sight of the remote pilot.
Drones are also being used to send coronavirus tests back and forth to up to 2,500 hospitals and rural health outposts in Rwanda and Ghana.This week the first US medical drone flight despatched a consignment of PPE to frontline workers in North Carolina.
Stephen Whiston, head of strategic planning for the Argyll and
Bute health and social care partnership said drones could transform the speed with which doctors diagnose and treat patients across the authority’s rural community which is spread across 2,500 sq miles of western Scotland. This includes Mull and several other islands.
Whiston said: “Laboratory pick ups from GP surgeries up here can be very inefficient, with delays ranging from a couple of hours to two days if ferries are missed. When you’re talking about serious and developing conditions those sort of delays are very serious.”
The 16km (10 mile) flight from Lorn and Islands district general hospital in Oban, on the mainland, to Mull and Iona community hospital in Craignure, on the east of the island, takes about
ren – some of whom, in their first outing in over two months, have stepped out of the car, as long as they don’t wander far off.
Popcorn and McDonald’s can be ordered via WhatsApp. “You place your order, pay it with a credit or debit card to avoid additional contact and they bring it to your car wearing face masks,” said Muttoni.
Airport toilets have been opened for movie-goers, who must wear face masks outside their cars. The toilet facilities are constantly disinfected and emergency mechanics are on standby in case of a vehicle breakdown.
The promoters behind the project are planning on putting on music shows and standup comedy as well for the drive-in audience.
Uruguay has so far had one of the lowest coronavirus tolls in Latin America,
even as the region emerges as a hotspot for the pandemic. The tiny country of just 3.5 million people has had 803 confirmed cases of coronavirus and only 22 deaths so far.
In contrast, neighbouring Brazil has had the second-most cases in the world after the USA, with about 412,000 cases and nearly 26,000 deaths.
Uruguay reacted fast to its first cases in March, with a voluntary quarantine, widespread monitoring and tracking plus randomized tests. The government is still encouraging people to self-quarantine as it gradually starts to reopen.