Thread by @HuffmanLabDU

Stronger prevention against the aerosol component of COVID spread is absolutely crucial for public health, especially healthcare. Major pushback against this has cost many lives. Please listen (2 min) to the best reasons why this WHO leader says they are not worth it. 1/

https://twitter.com/DavidElfstrom/status/1380896468131848196

2/ In relation to the comments by Dr. Conly about N95 risks to pregnant women - this is a nice thread by @caruzycki showing major errors in how that study was designed. Authors modified an N95 mask until it was very to breathe through first.

https://twitter.com/caruzycki/status/1380711279787044867

3/ In contrast, there are lots of legitimate & very important reasons to use upgraded masks (N95s, elastomeric respirators) - because they protect lives.

https://twitter.com/HuffmanLabDU/status/1357816943290449920

4/ Read this article w/ nice investigative reporting by @By_CJewett and others. They cover the >3,500 American health care workers who have died - and show their faces and names. Many died b/c they had little access to proper PPE.
theguardian.com/us-news/ng-int…

5/ If you're interested, I highly recommend watching the full 60 min presentation from yesterday by all three scientists on the topic of airborne transmission of COVID. The ~15 min presentation by @kprather88 & @DFisman is really excellent.
ucalgary.yuja.com/V/Video?v=3323…

6/ All leaders at the #WHO or anywhere who oppose aerosol prevention measures like N95 masks should have to look into the eyes of the families of HCWs who have died & say - but the masks might have caused acne, exzema, or maybe some other unfounded risk.

7/ I’m not trying to be sensationalistic or to take advantage of a sound bite misstep in a conversation. The point is that these comments come from someone w/ tremendous authority in these matters & who will have had many of these conversations. Veracity of response is crucial.

8/ Aerosol protection (i.e. #N95s, elastomeric) are effective and safe against airborne virus spread.

There is simply no credible or broad scale scientific reason they shouldn’t be used widely against COVID.

Supply chains have caught up, so availability is not the issue ...

9/ Making N95s just ‘available’ to HCWs is not enough, esp. given all the previous confusion about their use. The onus should never be on HCWs to do extra research.

Hospital, state, & (inter)national leaders need to mandate aerosol protection AND explain why it is so critical.