University of Tartu offers state help tackling coronavirus
University of Tartu has offered to put its intellectual resources and infrastructure at the service of the state in order to help remedy the situation caused by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
Vice Rector for Academic Affairs of the University of Tartu Aune Valk, Acting Rector, sent a letter to Prime Minister Jüri Ratas on March 19 noting that the university is ready to offer its intellectual resources and infrastructure to the state in order to remedy the situation.
According to Kristjan Vassil, Vice Rector for Research at the University of Tartu, the government discussed the proposition and the social affairs minister had forwarded it to the Health Board but could not say what had happened next.
The university houses 30 institutes which have researched the virus and ways of mitigating the effects of the emergecy situation in one way or another and could offer help, Vassil added. "The state should have the need and willingness to accept help, then the proposition would have an impact," he told ERR's Novaator portal.
On Tuesday, Novaator sent an inquiry to the State Chancellery regarding the proposition which has yet to be answered. The communication centre of the State Chancellery noted that the inquiry has been forwarded to corresponding authorities.
University of Tartu has offered its laboratories for testing as the labs are able to process 1,500 tests daily. Working in two shifts could mean 3,000 processed tests in 24 hours.
The university is also able to collect and manage data connected to the virus, as the infrastructure and competence of the computer scientists and statisticians of the university would enable to quickly create a data platform where Health Board and health institutions could add single fragments of data into a comprehensive and high-quality database.
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Editor: Anders Nõmm