Midlands Tech donating medical supplies normally used in classes to fight coronavirus
In response to COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Midlands Tech is donating supplies normally used for classes to local health organizations, it announced in a press release Tuesday.
Thus far, the college has made donations to South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control, Prisma Health, Lexington Medical Center, Lexington Extended Care and Heritage at Lowman in Chapin. The five donations have consisted of 29,500 gloves, 5,000 thermometer covers, 1,150 surgical masks, more than 30 pairs of goggles, five disposable gowns, two 32-ounce bags of hand sanitizer and two surgical shield masks, the college said in a statement.
“Many of the nurses and emergency medical professionals working on the front lines of the coronavirus fight are Midlands Technical College graduates,” Ron Rhames, president of Midlands Tech, said in a statement. “As a leader in health care education and training, it is natural for us to do everything we can to support health care organizations in our communities across the Midlands.”
Like colleges and universities across the state and the country, Midlands Tech has halted all in-person instruction as the virus spreads, switching to online-only classes and lectures through the rest of the spring semester.
As of Monday afternoon, there have been 925 positive cases of COVID-19 across South Carolina, including a state-leading 135 in Richland County, where four of Midlands Tech’s campuses are located. Lexington County has reported 41 positive cases, including several at Lexington Extended Care.
The city of Columbia is currently under a stay-at-home ordinance. Residents are allowed to leave their homes for food, medicine, personal exercise and other essential reasons, including work in certain industries, but must stay inside otherwise. Gatherings of three or more people have been discouraged.
