The Samar State University (SSU) has already distributed some 756 gallons of hand sanitizer to families and front-liners in Catbalogan City and neighboring towns to help prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Since March 20, the school has been distributing for free moisturized chlorine-based hand sanitizers to 38 villages and some 13 front-line establishments, including rural health units, district hospitals, police offices, the Philippine Army, banks, and remittance centers.

The shortage of disinfectants has prompted the school’s faculty-researchers to mass-produce their hand sanitizer for free distribution, the SSU said in a statement issued on Monday.

The school has also begun distributing sanitizers to nearby towns, among them Calbiga, Hinabangan, Basey, Paranas, Matuguinao, and Jiabong, all in Samar province.

The university said they formulated the hand sanitizers while making ethyl alcohol, which will also be distributed for free, to mitigate the spread of the infection.

According to the team of researchers, it takes them seven to 10 days to produce ethyl alcohol due to the unavailability of ethanol.

On the other hand, the hand sanitizer can be formulated within a day using distilled water, chlorine, glycerol, synthetic lemon extract, and pure calamansi crude extract.

The researchers will continue producing hand sanitizers to help meet the needs of more households.

Once available, ethyl alcohol will also be distributed to villages and front-line establishments for free.

The university has also donated 200 face masks for the front-liners at the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in Tacloban City.

Meanwhile, Eastern Visayas has one confirmed case of Covid-19, a 51-year-old female from Catarman, Nothern Samar, according to the Department of Health.

The region has 369 patients under investigation as of Sunday — 15 currently admitted in referral hospitals and 354 under strict home quarantine. (PNA)