The portable single man operational COVID 19 sample collection chamber was invented by Dr. Sajith Edirisinghe, Lecturer, Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura. The currently available sample collection chambers need a minimum of two health care workers to operate and most are not portable. Using this new unit, a single health care worker can easily take the sample, disinfect the anterior side of the chamber, send the next sample collecting bottle to the outside through the channel with patient details on it and obtain the next sample. This method could minimize the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and reduce plastic and polyethylene accumulation to the environment (Most of the currently sued PPEs are made out of plastic and polyethylene). The other advantage of this machine is it is lightweight and portable. Therefore it can be moved from one ward to another or easily carry it to the field for sample collections. The chamber has its lighting system to light the patient’s face to visualize the interior of the mouth. Also, it has an air cooling system to reduce the heat and the humidity inside the chamber. The chamber was handed over to Dr. Hasitha Attanayaka – Director, National Institute of Infectious Diseases (IDH), Sri Lanka on 16th April 2020.
