1/ I wear an N95 at locations outside of my home. I wear it to the grocery store, pharmacy and my doctor's office.
It's comfortable, doesn't hurt my ears, doesn't fog up my glasses, and easy to breathe through. I can wear it all day, anywhere. EXCEPT at the hospital!
2/ Many health care facilities require visitors to REMOVE their superior respiratory PPE and don a basic surgical ASTM Level 1 mask.
This practice must stop.
3/ Here's my friend Annamaria's experience this past Thursday when she went to @NGHSimcoe for her second vaccination, shared with her permission👇
4/ @NGHSimcoe's current policy for visitors (and presumably all staff) is "must wear appropriate PPE including the hospital-issued mask".
NEWSFLASH: The hospital-issued mask is NOT appropriate respiratory protection. It's designed to protect against sprays of bodily fluids.
5/ The greatest potential route of COVID-19 infection is inhalation of small floating droplet nuclei (bioaerosol) containing SARS-CoV-2, produced when a person coughs, talks, or merely breathes.
6/ Universal masking helps reduce output, but aerosols still escape from a surgical mask.
(image source: Rothamer et al, 2020 medrxiv.org/content/10.110…)
7/ Many people at greater risk from the impacts of a COVID-19 infection have been advised by their physician to wear improved respiratory protection. Downgrading to a surgical mask goes against this advice, and the precautionary principle. It's asinine.
8/ Hospital IPAC:
🤔If I wear safety boots, will you require me to remove them and don hospital-provided clown shoes? No.
If you're actually worried about contamination you'd follow Ontario's COVID-19 workplace guidance and provide boot sanitizing trays or shoe covers.
9/ So, at the VERY MINIMUM please alter your policy to allow people to keep their own PPE and apply the surgical mask over top.
10/ Look to others:
1️⃣Trillium Health Partners changed their policy in 24 hours👇
11/ 2️⃣University Health Network also changed their policy in 24 hours👇
12/ 3️⃣@NGHSimcoe will you be next? I have my vaccination appointment on Tuesday 🎉🥳🎉 and on the advice of my physician I will be wearing a fit-tested N95 and will NOT remove it for inferior protection indoors. Please alter your masking policy like THP & UHN did.
13/ ⚠Attention ALL EMPLOYERS:
Please allow your employees up their mask game. Ideally, provide it for them. Essential workers deserve it. Your continued business operation without ill workers justifies it.
14/ UP YOUR MASK GAME with Masks4Canada's Advanced Mask Purchase List and Tip Sheet. There is ample local supply of respirators. Use them.
Let's push through until we're all vaccinated. It's not much longer. docs.google.com/document/d/1ma…
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