Thread by @YouAreLobbyLud

1/ WHY I'M ABOUT TO SPEND $3000 ON A PAPR (PPE)
I am going to buy one of these this week. It's a Cleanspace HALO lightweight PAPR. It delivers filtered, positive pressure air to a comfortably fitting mask for up to nine hours on a single charge.

2/ The 'fit factor' for this mask is usually around 5,000, compared to 100-200 for a disposable N95. In this study from Singapore it proved completely protective for HCWs. cleanspacetechnology.com/dr-swan-austra…

3/ A few hospital units in Australia are already using this Australian-made product, but it is still rare. Well, I have decided to spend $3000 and buy one and this is why:

4/ A) I can. I am lucky enough to be able to afford to purchase this absolute protection from COVID infection. Unfortunately, most HCWs cannot.

5/ B) Though double vaccinated, I am 55 years old and male and I am not prepared to risk getting COVID through the negligence of an infection control regime that does not protect me properly.

6/ In the chaos of a busy emergency department the risk of being forced into a position where my protective barrier is breached through a poorly fitting N95 is just too high.

7/ C) I now live with a 20 year old brittle Type 1 diabetic - my son's girlfriend - who slips into diabetic ketoacidosis at the drop of a hat.

8/ She is an incredible young woman, this "person with comorbidities" and, surprisingly enough, I am not willing to risk killing her by bringing home COVID.

9/ Now, of course, it is entirely possible that any department I work in may not allow me to use the HALO, because it is not part of their protocol. In that case, I will simply refuse to work.

10/ It is wrong that HCWs should be forced into this position, where to defend their right to a safe workplace they need to be so aggressive, but the failure of our employers to protect us and of our professional organisations to stand up for us means that there is no choice.

11/ So what should the situation be?

12/ The situation should be that Australia did not spend the last 18 months squandering its advantage, that every energy of the nation was devoted to safeguarding its quarantine and healthcare facilities, its HCWs and public and private indoor spaces. But we didn't do that.

13/ Cases are now spiralling in NSW, spreading to other states and hospital outbreaks are rife. I am spending $3000 to protect myself and my family, while wondering if that means I will lose my job. Other HCWs are traumatised or just resigned to getting COVID at work.

14/ Healthcare workers are not an unlimited resource, just an "asset to deploy". We are human beings, employees who deserve a safe workplace like any other employee. We deserve to be treated with compassion and respect, so don't patronise us, Dr "2200 Ventilators"...

15/ ... and above all don't clap for us if you aren't also prepared to protect us.
Thanks for reading.
smh.com.au/national/pleas…