ensure that we support
the UK’s effort to fight
COVID-19, by testing
at scale. We know
that this is the most
effective way to both
save lives and
promote a timely
return to a more
normal society.
“We continue to ramp up
our COVID-19 testing
capabilities – not only by increasing
our production of testing kits, but also
by accelerating the build schedule for
the testing analysers on which the tests
are performed.
CREW – the COVID-19 Remote
Early Warning System
In this new world, all parts
of society are required to
make significant changes
in behaviour to contain the
spread of COVID-19. This
will continue to have an
enormous impact on the
management of workforce
patterns and operations in
many organisations.
Preparations are
underway to ease the
restrictions that were
imposed to contain the
COVID-19 pandemic, and
for businesses, finding
a new norm means
implementing systems
to protect organisations,
their workforces and their
customers. With this in
mind 8 West Consulting
developed the CREW system
in a true multidisciplinary
Academic, Business
and Clinical ecosystem,
collaborating effectively as
a virtual team, between 8
West, the ASSERT Centre
University College Cork
(UCC) and the Tyndall
National Institute UCC.
CREW, the Covid-19
Remote Early Warning
system is here to help
provide reassurance for
organisations, their staff
and customers.
Social distancing and
lone working welfare
solutions will be key factors
as businesses and society
seek to establish new
operational norms whilst
keeping COVID-19 at bay.
One key element to this
new way of working will be
ensuring that individuals
entering organisations,
whether employees or
suppliers, are not potential
vectors for COVID-19.
To assist organisations
roll out their return to work
safety protocols, CREW the
COVID-19 Remote Early
Warning System, has been
developed to remotely
identify workers who are
presenting with an elevated
temperature, that may be
indicative of them being
symptomatic of COVID-19.
When an individual’s
temperature shows signs
over a specific period of
time, of being elevated
above the expected average,
they are alerted to take
appropriate action.
The solution innovatively
combines existing
technologies to allow early
detection of symptoms
of the Coronavirus. The
COVID-19 Remote Early
Warning System (CREW)
consists of:
A wearable Bluetooth
connected axillary
thermometer to measure
body temperature.
A wearable or
smartphone running
the CREW app which
retrieves the temperature
data from the Bluetooth
thermometer, and sends
it to the CREW Cloud
Gateway. In addition,
activity and heart
rate data can also be
included in the case of a
wearable device.
Additional sensors that
monitor other metrics
such as respiratory
rate and SpO2 can be
incorporated into the
solution.
CREW Cloud Gateway
which acts as the central
hub for all sensor and
connectivity.
CREW Alarms and
Dashboards is the
application which
monitors the incoming
data and generates
automatic alarms if
temperature thresholds
are breached.
COVER STORY
22 » JUNE 2020 » WWW.MADEIN.IE
“We are aiming, by
working at maximum
efficiency in a greatly
accelerated time
frame of 6-7 weeks,
to manufacture 200
of our most
state-of-the-art
testing platforms,
which will greatly
enhance our testing
capacity at Randox.”
Randox has also established a
number of new teams responsible for
the development, manufacturing and
distribution of COVID-19 testing kits for
the national testing programme. The
company was also interested in speaking
to anyone with experience in
mechanical, electrical or manufacturing
engineering. Invest Northern Ireland is
helping by contacting companies which
may be able to temporarily release
resources to help meet this urgent
staffing requirement.
Dr FitzGerald added: “To meet the
unprecedented demand for COVID-19
testing, we have been redeploying our
own personnel to various COVID-19
critical departments, but are now also
recruiting for a number of specialist
disciplines.
“Everyone at Randox has a vital role
to play in the practical application of
“To meet the
unprecedented
demand for COVID-19
testing, we have been
redeploying our own
personnel to various
COVID-19 critical
departments...”
/WWW.MADEIN.IE