need to talk about masks/PPE for hero medical staff at frontline of tsunami coming in, partic battling to save lives in critical care units...
Supplies earmarked for them, but what about A&E who in some hospitals don’t get top spec FFP3? Or maternity?
Msg from a Covid CCU:
Supplies earmarked for them, but what about A&E who in some hospitals don’t get top spec FFP3? Or maternity?
Msg from a Covid CCU:
bad news is that much of the supply of the FFP3 respirators came from China, and had a 3 month production haltage: China itself buying up all supply.
That is over now but prices have quadrupled one top importer told me.
Many of top spec protective overalls came from Hubei itself
That is over now but prices have quadrupled one top importer told me.
Many of top spec protective overalls came from Hubei itself
Shortage means other frontline staff are using not v protective surgical masks, not respirators, and fear is, as in Italy, sheer weight of work means they will just end up having to be reused, which is a big risk for staff we need to stay healthy...
According to NYT - China as well as upping production of respirators from 10 million a day to 115 million a day in the month of February, imported 56 million in a week just after Wuhan shutdown but “require a special fabric in short supply” google.co.uk/amp/s/www.nyti…
The better news here versus ICU ventilators is that there is some UK domestic production in County Durham at least for respirator masks... but the same efforts appear to be required here with enlisting manufacturers in fact more urgently than ventilators
Important interview here
From my BBC colleague in Essex:
Apple CEO confirms it’s donating millions of masks for medics around the world.... 👏🏾
More of this needed from top manufacturers...
More of this needed from top manufacturers...
This followed VP Pence changing US regulations so that tens of millions of industrial top spec N95/ FFP3 masks could be redeployed to health system...
Doctors saying that each individual patient effectively requiring dozens of masks for staff caring for them...
Doctors saying that each individual patient effectively requiring dozens of masks for staff caring for them...
So the good news on this came from Simon Stevens saying there were 28 million masks including stockpiles at select committee last week, but they weren’t yet in right place and needed to be distributed partly with help of army...
BUT doctors report each patient requires each nurse/doc multiple PPE changes - so dozens of masks per critical patient per day, unless reused. Visors big issue too - much better protection than goggles.
28m masks burnt thru quickly if 30,000 patients in critical for 90 days...
28m masks burnt thru quickly if 30,000 patients in critical for 90 days...
Look at California alone, where Governor Newsom just said he is having to procure, for a population of 40 million...
500 million N95 masks
One BILLION gloves
200 million sets of PPE
Which he says will be exhausted for a 3 month hospital capacity surge to deal with Covid-19...
500 million N95 masks
One BILLION gloves
200 million sets of PPE
Which he says will be exhausted for a 3 month hospital capacity surge to deal with Covid-19...
Chinese hospital donates masks, protective equipment to Birmingham University trust hospital - which says it has enough already...
Brilliant. Medics seem to want improvised visors rather than goggles... who else has a spare 3D printer?
Confirmation from Number 10 that the UK Govt did not take part in the Joint European Procurement Initiative of millions of pieces of health protective equipment, masks, shields etc - making own efforts. Commission said UK was invited...
The issue here is that the Commission says it has procured everything - presumably buying up all the manufacturing capacity for what must be BILLIONS of items of PPE for two dozen countries - Govt says we have enough, but was only an issue of distribution, now settled by army
Given the decision not to go with this, the fact that EC has now bought up huge part of global capacity, some transparency on size of our PPE stockpile and the domestic UK surge manufacturing capacity, and whether that has been or when it will be activated, would be very helpful.
Latest numbers on army distribution given to lobby:
And now we have a clarification from Number 10 that we havent accepted the invitation to the Joint European Procurement of PPE and ventilators not because we’ve left the EU, but because Government did not get the email...
Open to future efforts.
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…
Open to future efforts.
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…
Royal Mint making visors - needs some specialist materials PET clear plastic to make thousands for the NHS workers neeeding protection:
*** NEW very interesting diplomatically worded press release from the fashion industry - it is offering to use idle factory capacity to make the protective equipment the NHS needs - but says “government is currently concentrating on importing these products”..which seems ..risky
