Healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients in a healthcare setting should be equipped with N95 respirators and not just surgical masks, according to an article on the Infection Control Today website.
Investigators with the Marshall B. Ketchum University College of Pharmacy, Fullerton, Calif., and the Providence-St. Jude Medical Center, Fullerton, Calif., disputed an article in the Annals of Internal Medicine said that N95s and medical or surgical masks have been shown to offer equal protection.
N95 respirators are better at filtering out aerosol generating particles. The investigators suggested guidelines for use of N95s to be re-evaluated.
The article appealed to healthcare administrators who have been struggling with inadequate supplies of N95s and other personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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