A spike in COVID-19 cases this fall and winter — along with cold and flu cases —could leave healthcare facilities with renewed shortages of masks and other personal protective equipment, according to an article on the Medical Design and Outsourcing website.
N95s should be discarded after every patient encounter, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But shortages have forced healthcare providers to wear the same mask for full shifts.
Recently, the FDA had granted emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for 10 decontamination systems.
In addition to helping keep frontline healthcare workers safe, decontamination programs could save facilities money.
According to an article on the Bloomberg website, the nationwide demand for the N95 respirator masks that give is 300 million a year, up from 25 million prior to the pandemic.
Read the full Medical Design and Outsourcing article.
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