Experts warn that widely used surgical masks are putting health care workers at serious risk

[TexasTowelie]

With medical supplies in high demand, federal authorities say health workers can wear surgical masks for protection while treating COVID-19 patients — but growing evidence suggests the practice is putting workers in jeopardy.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently said lower-grade surgical masks are “an acceptable alternative” to N95 masks unless workers are performing an intubation or another procedure on a COVID patient that could unleash a high volume of virus particles.

America’s health care workers are dying from the coronavirus pandemic. These are some of the first tragic cases.

But scholars, nonprofit leaders and former regulators in the specialized field of occupational safety say relying on surgical masks — which are considerably less protective than N95 respirators — is almost certainly fueling illness among front-line health workers, who likely make up about 11% of all known COVID-19 cases.

Read more: https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2020/04/29/experts-warn-that-widely-used-surgical-masks-are-putting-health-care-workers-at-serious-risk/

[LisaL]

1. Using surgical mask is better than not using any mask.

So I would say headline is misleading.
Masks are not putting heath care workers at risk. Rather these masks are not providing adequate protection, because they can't block small viral particles.

[still_one]

2. +++

[lark]

3. I don't think it's misleading.

Giving health care workers ineffective masks for the job is not acceptable, they are risking the nurses lives rather than doing the expensive job of getting the needed masks. The administrators are putting the frontline people's lives at risk.

[LisaL]

4. The headlines implies masks make it more risky.

They don't. They are better than no masks. But they are not adequate against airborne pathogens, which has been known for a long time. CDC should have never declared surgical masks to be acceptable in caring for covid patients.

[lark]

5. We 100% agree on the conclusion.

Nurses need to be wearing the superior N95 masks to protect their lives.

[SheltieLover]

8. Absolutely

And this should serve as a precaution to anyone who feels "safe" or "safer" wearing cloth masks as the teeny particles are not filtered through cloth. Perhaps better than nothing, but they can also cause a false sense of security, in my opinion.

[appalachiablue]

6. Surgical Mask ( L): N95 Mask/Respirator (R)

[SheltieLover]

7. Perhaps headline should say

Dump's theft of N-95s is killing med staff.

Or

Repub profiteering / pirating og N-95s is killing med workers. 🤬

Ridiculous! 🤬

Thanks for posting. K&R

[dalton99a]

10. +1

[SheltieLover]

11. It is really disturbing that dump stealing supirs is not being discussed

Thos should be investigated & the 1st story at every news site / program!

[crickets]

18. +1000000

[McCamy Taylor]

9. Things to remember

1) People with COVID may not look sick but are still contagious

2) Saying certain consonants spews out as much saliva ( and virus) as a cough so someone does not have to cough in your face to be contagious

3) The virus can enter your eyes

4) The virus can lie dormant outisde a host for days to weeks

Add 1 plus 2 plus 3 plus 4 and you will see that the only protection that really protects is a N95 mask that does not allow you to breathe in little bits of air through the open sides of the masks plus a full face shield that protects the eyes AND face. You could use goggles but you would have to wash your face after each patient encounter because virus particles could land on your forehead and sweat into your eyes later (since the virus can lie dormant for days to weeks).

Also, every surface that the person accidentally spewed saliva on (meaning anything within 6 to 10 feet of that person) needs to be wiped down with disinfectant. Otherwise. it is also a potential infection source.

Face mask will cut the viral load to which you are exposed. And some people think that getting infected with a smaller viral load means a milder infection. However since we do not know how COVID kills, the face mask may not cut your risk of death.

[SheltieLover]

12. +1000

Excellent points!

TY!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

13. Ok, so just heard doctor say they now believe the virus is

a disease of the blood and not a respiratory disease. Does that play into the whole mask approach? Or is that still how the virus enters (inhale) and then gets in blood stream to be infect with the disease? Sure I didn't phrase that correctly, sorry.

[Baclava]

14. What? What are u talking about? New studies show blood clotting complications, not how its spread

[Laura PourMeADrink]

15. Exactly what I just said. The doctor said that virus causes disease of the blood. Blood

system root cause/source of other complications. Not the respiratory system.

[Baclava]

16. What doctor? Link?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

17. Around 3:50 ish. NJ surgeon. Was only half listening

this morning, so listened again. "Infection of the blood" but while thing good interview.

https://www.msnbc.com/stephanie-ruhle/watch/surgeon-breaks-down-how-to-get-back-to-basics-of-coronavirus-protections-82812997880