1/ I wish we could get better masks for frontline workers.
I had another patient test positive unexpectedly for #covid19 who had presented for something unrelated.
Thankfully I had the right protection- an N95 mask & a face shield on the entire time.
I had another patient test positive unexpectedly for #covid19 who had presented for something unrelated.
Thankfully I had the right protection- an N95 mask & a face shield on the entire time.
2/ Throughout this epidemic, from March until today, I have directly taken care of more #covid19 patients than I can count. Since day 1, I have worn an N95 mask + face shield w/ every encounter. I have been w/in inches of those infected & coughing for several minutes at a time.
3/ In multiple hospitals where I work, staff & friends have gotten infected.
Many of those infections may have been acquired in the community; but some were in the hospitals themselves.
Some of these were well publicized in the media as well.
bostonglobe.com/2020/10/19/met…
Many of those infections may have been acquired in the community; but some were in the hospitals themselves.
Some of these were well publicized in the media as well.
bostonglobe.com/2020/10/19/met…
4/ Better working conditions are needed. That’s the priority for what happened in the tweet above.
But better masks are also needed. In the beginning of the epidemic, N95s only advised with aerosol generating procedures. That guidance changed quickly.
But better masks are also needed. In the beginning of the epidemic, N95s only advised with aerosol generating procedures. That guidance changed quickly.
5/ Now- any COVID19 pt is seen w/ N95 mask on by policy
Personally, I have begun to see *all* patients with my N95 mask + face shield.
Why?
Bc have had multiple cases where initial #covid19 test negative; subsequent couple days later became positive (early incubation)
Personally, I have begun to see *all* patients with my N95 mask + face shield.
Why?
Bc have had multiple cases where initial #covid19 test negative; subsequent couple days later became positive (early incubation)
6/ Masks are protective. Better masks are more protective. #covid19 spreads by both droplets AND aerosols. If someone argues otherwise (largely consensus now), I welcome them to come work frontline w/ infected patients wearing just a surgical mask. They won’t. And they shouldn’t.
7/ We have been pushing for this since June. Clearly whatever we did wasn’t enough. But when we knew that this was an issue, we tried bring attention to it multiple times @RanuDhillon @sri_srikrishna @Transition46
hbr.org/2020/06/we-nee…
hbr.org/2020/06/we-nee…
8/ the first time we publicly brought this up was on May 1st in @HarvardBiz— an article we actually had started writing back in March.
hbr.org/2020/05/a-plan…
hbr.org/2020/05/a-plan…
9/ @sri_srikrishna brought our attention to the possibility of using already available high filtration elastomeric masks for vulnerable frontline workers. We wrote about that here. ⬇️
hbr.org/2020/10/essent…
hbr.org/2020/10/essent…
10/ Now, 10 months deep- I have had *so many close colleagues* test positive, some even while at work. It’s getting worse, esp in certain new epicenters such as LA county where I’m from.
Vaccines couldn’t have come sooner. #covid19
Vaccines couldn’t have come sooner. #covid19
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