Covid hood by Dr Richard Lawson. - Credit: GP Richard Lawson A retired GP turned inventor has secured kit from Australia which he says could prevent Covid-19 patients from infecting hospital staff. Richard Lawson drafted plans for a hood that filters the air breathed out by infectious patients, in a bid to tackle the “serious problem” of hospital-acquired infection. Hoping to convince regulators, he contacted the manufacturers of the Medihood, a similar idea already in use in Australia, who have sent him three units free of charge. Churchill resident Dr Lawson is now offering to lend them to local hospitals to study their effectiveness in stopping the spread of coronavirus.