A coronavirus-killing spray developed by the army is being used by soldiers deployed in Kent.

The disinfectant eliminates 99.99% of the Covid-19 virus in 60 seconds and will now be made available to the public after it was used at testing sites operated by the military in Medway.

Virusend has been developed in partnership with British Army experts and released following extensive testing by the Centre of Excellence for Infectious Disease Research and the Liverpool School for Tropical Medicine.

Results found the spray killed germs from the SARS-CoV-2 strain in under one minute.

Military personnel have been using the product at the four asymptomatic testing sites it is running in Medway – Rochester Cathedral, Chattenden Community Centre, The Oast in Rainham and the Universities at Medway in Chatham.

It has also been used at military-run testing sites in Preston.

Some 50,000 bottles of the Virusend disinfectant are being provided to military teams to use at mass testing and vaccination sites.

The "quick kill-time" means it is ideal to use at the sites with high numbers of people using them.

It is now being tested for wider use in the NHS including in clinical departments.

Lt Col James Cackett, 35 Engineer Regiment and commanding officer of the Medway Resilience Unit running the four sites in the Towns, said: "The troops who are now working in Medway have welcomed the deployment of this additional force protection measure.

"Virusend is proving easy to use and will help us keep our work areas safe for everyone."

Virusend project manager Lt Col Christopher Warhurst said: "I am truly privileged to be at the centre of this amazing partnership and work with such talented and dedicated people.

"What started out as a good idea has developed into an amazing product that has the potential to have a real impact against the virus.

"The Army is proud to have been involved in this incredible project."

The bottle has an innovative design and covers a wide surface area that can be used upside-down and eliminating wastage. It uses compressed air instead of flammable gases and is also fully recyclable and reusable.

Michael Pritchard MBE, chief executive Pritchard Spray Technology Ltd which developed the bottle, said: "This pioneering spray will change the way we combat this and all future pandemics.

"This has been a truly unique collaboration that showcases what we the United Kingdom can achieve. We want to give the UK the tools it needs to defeat coronavirus and get back on its feet as soon as possible."

For more visit the Virusend website.

To read about the Armed Forces and how they have served Kent and beyond, click here.

For the latest coronavirus news and advice, click here.

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