GEORGE NEWS - A Grade 10 Glenwood House pupil, Jason Soldin (15), has joined the efforts of others in George to 3D-print much-needed face shields to protect health care workers against infection with the novel coronavirus.
Jason's dad, Dr Ryan Soldin, is a pathologist at PathCare George where staff members who collect Covid-19 swabs from patients are at a higher risk of infection. Jason has already donated a number of shields to PathCare as well as the George Hospital.
He is printing shields for all the Garden Route branches of PathCare and their head office in Cape Town. The shields are being sent to Cape Town in batches.
Jason says he can print seven shields per day. He tried out different designs first to see which would be the most comfortable, before starting real production. "I will be printing till the demand is over."
He likes designing things and wants to become an engineer. The ability to make a contribution in the current crisis situation is a great encouragement to him in pursuing his dream. Jason's subject choices reflect his interests: IT, engineering graphics and design, and maths and science.
A George staff member at PathCare, Bert van Leeuwen, is also printing shields for his co-workers on a new 3D printer that he bought about two months ago. "I'm an engineer and I like to tinker around with gadgets. When the need for shields arose, I was happy to make a contribution," he says.
Dr Joseph Alt of the paediatric unit at George Hospital wears a face shield printed by Jason Soldin.
'We bring you the latest George, Garden Route news'
