A BELFAST cosmetics company claims it has been "completely inundated" with requests from across the UK for a miracle disinfectant it claims can kill coronavirus.
Marty Chappell and Neal Connor of Chaco Cosmetics are behind importing and bottling an innovative plant-based hand sanitising product called Aktivora.
Its efficacy was previously independently tested against the African swine fever virus (ASFV) and was found to have disabled and killed it.
And now it is has emerged that Aktivora is having the same impact against Covid-19.
"Since we went public with our findings at the weekend, we've been blown away by the response," Marty told the Irish News.
"Aktivora is more than just a hand sanitiser. You can spray any surface including clothes, counters, your car and vans etc.
"We have sizes from 100ml, 200ml, 500ml, 1 litre, 5 litre and 20 litre, and we're bottling it in the tens of thousands of units daily."
He said Chaco had already made "a significant quantity" of the product available free to nurses at the Lagan Valley and Royal Victoria Hospitals.
"Staff can keep the smaller bottles in their pockets for handiness sake.
"We've currently orders for 25,000 of the 100ml size and another 14,000 units of the 200ml.
"We've spoken to a number of local MPs and have also approached Robin Swann's people in the Health Department, and we are prepared to ramp up production if required."
Marty - whose business is backed by two local investors - said Chaco has a significant stock of the product, which he insists has a less harsh impact on the skin than other alcohol-based hand products.
"We're inundated with enquiries through our social media channels and at sales@chacocosmetics.com, but are keeping up with demand right now and are also trying to hold on to some stock for emergencies," Marty added.
He said: "Test have proven that the current coronavirus that causes the disease Covid-19 has been completely destroyed when exposed to Aktivora."
According to its website, Aktovora developed the product to tackle the ever growing threat of germs/viruses and pathogens that are becoming more resistant to existing drugs and medicines.
"After many years of research, we were able to incorporate into this potent formula a very effective disinfecting and cleaning technology that is completely eco-friendly, biodegradable and kinder to the planet," it said.
"We achieved a +Log 4 kill within five minutes, that’s 99.99 per cent. Most hand sanitisers only need to hit 99.9 per cent to qualify for public use.
"But we have clearly surpassed that at even one of our lowest dilutions, and we reckon a few minutes more and we would have easily achieved a 99.999 per cent kill."
