Redirooms isolation tents sent across the globe in COVID fight

An invention by a Queensland nurse is being deployed every 40 minutes around the world in the desperate fight against COVID-19.

Pop-up isolation rooms developed in Queensland and sent to hospitals around the world are saving countless lives in the global battle against COVID-19.

Redirooms, compact and transportable, pop-up isolation tents, have been developed by Sunshine Coast Clinical Nurse Anna Ballantyne.

More than 300 of the Redirooms, which help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other common contact and droplet pathogens, have been purchased by the UK’s National Health Service alone – with one being deployed every 40 minutes.

The rooms, which can be set up in any hospital wing and remove the need for permanent isolation rooms, are also being marketed in Spain, Israel, and Romania with plans to launch in the COVID-19 crippled United States this May.

Inventors of the Rediroom Justin and Anna Ballantyne and James Burkwood. The Rediroom is a compact, completely transportable pop-up isolation room taking the medical world by storm. Picture Lachie Millard

Ms Ballantyne, with help from husband Justin, business partner James Burkwood and Gama Healthcare, has chalked up $10m worth of sales in eight months.

“Medical staff can use them anywhere they are needed; general wards, intensive care and emergency departments,” Ms Ballantyne said.

“This helps manage patient flows within a hospital and means we can use multi-bay rooms for multiple people while safely isolating patients at the same time.”

Ms Ballantyne, a 26-year nurse who still works full time, said the rooms would protect staff and patients.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever know how many people it will save, but I expect it will be a few,” she said.

“It’s very humbling.”

Sunshine Coat based Clinical Nurse Instructor and inventor Anna Ballantyne in front of the Rediroom she invented alongside husband Justin, and James Burkwood. Picture Lachie Millard

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the development of Redirooms proved what Queensland’s health companies were capable of.

“We have a relatively small population but look at how we can lead the world in innovation,” she said.

“The world is gripped by this pandemic and our researchers and our exporters are rising to the challenge to help those impacted so heavily.”

This month Queensland company Ellume was awarded a $300m order for its home test kits for COVID-19 with the United States Government.