On the BBC News this evening, Medical Editor @BBCFergusWalsh clearly stated:
“As for facemasks, simple surgical masks are *not* good at stopping viruses. You really need a properly fitted tight respirator mask for that”…
/1
…which begs the question, why does the NHS infection control guidance STILL only recommend surgical masks for treating patients with airborne viruses like flu & Covid… and not proper FFP3 masks?
Even Baroness Hallett was rather perplexed by this during the Covid Inquiry.
/2
The IPC experts (Dr Warne & Dr Shin) who provided independent specialist advice to the Covid Inquiry both stated that IPC guidelines should be updated to recommend routine use of FFP3 masks when caring for patients with ANY respiratory virus.
1️⃣ He only mentions that people who are sick “must wear a mask in public spaces”…
…but why did he not also suggest that people who are *not* sick should wear a mask to prevent themselves getting sick in the first place?!
Like this ⬇️
2️⃣ Why didn’t @danielelkeles mention FFP masks?
Surgical masks DON’T protect against airborne transmission of flu.
“Live viruses could be detected in the air behind ALL surgical masks tested. By contrast, properly fitted respirators could provide at least a 100-fold reduction.”
NHS England: “It will not be possible to halt the spread of a new pandemic virus, and it would be a waste of public health resources and capacity to attempt to do so.”
This has got to be one of the most 🤯 things I’ve ever seen written down in an official document.
@mdc_martinus Here is the full letter from CATA (an alliance of medical organisations, royal colleges & trade unions) raising the alarm about the NHS pandemic response strategy to the Chair of the Covid Inquiry.
For more details, please read the excellent thread from @cv_cev linked below ⬇️
Can you think of anything that happened in 2020 which is still affecting huge swathes of people on an ongoing basis and which may help explain this worrying trend?
/1
If you haven’t figured it out yet, here’s a little clue… 🔎
/2
Still not worked it out?
Here’s another clue from Jim Reed, the BBC’s health reporter…