Masks have played a key role in keeping us all safe throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. At the start, masks helped flatten the curve to protect our hospital systems, and since, masks have helped make public spaces and essential services more open and accessible to everyone. Many studies show that masks work, and they work best when everyone wears a high-quality one to protect each other. Masks are magnificent.
Comments closedTag: N95 respirators
Topic: universal maskingView all posts for the topic: universal masking
Yes, masks reduce the risk of spreading COVID, despite a review saying they don’t
There is strong and consistent evidence for the effectiveness of masks and (even more so) respirators in protecting against respiratory infections. Masks are an important protection against serious infections.
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The evidence shows masks work
They aren’t perfect, but they certainly help curb airborne transmission of viruses.
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B.C. needs to get serious about COVID-19 in schools: coalition
Keeping B.C. schools open without better COVID-19 protections is a recipe for disaster, a coalition of advocates says.
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Opinion: Better protecting schools from COVID is within reach
Welcome to the “Live with COVID” era, where living with the virus means not talking about it at all. We’ve been told to pretend it’s over, though those “weird summer colds” and “lingering symptoms” indicate otherwise. Rising case rates, hospitalizations, and deaths. Best Summer Ever 2.0 is ending, which means kids are about to return for their third pandemic September.
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Human rights complaint filed against B.C. health-care authority over N95 respirator ban
A class complaint has been filed at the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal against a regional health-care authority over their policy prohibiting hospital patients and visitors from using N95 respirators.
The complaint was filed by Vancouver resident Lena Patsa on Wednesday against Fraser Health, the province’s largest health-care authority by population.
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High schoolers walk out to protest lax COVID policies
High school students across Manitoba walked out of class last Monday to demand improved COVID-19 safety measures as in-person learning resumes.
Organized by the group MB Students for COVID Safety, the walkout’s demands included the option to return to remote learning if students wish and increased funding for safety measures for those who prefer in-person learning.
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Burnaby mask maker that says B.C. isn’t following science donates 100K N95 respirators to teachers
Burnaby mask company Vitacore is being thanked by the union that represents B.C. teachers for donating 100,000 respirators to its members.
Comments closedIf you’re still wearing a cloth or surgical mask when you’re out and about, it’s time to rethink your face covering.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is set to update its mask advice this week to best reflect the available options and the different levels of protection they provide, a CDC official told CNN Tuesday.
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The N95 Is the Mask We All Should Be Wearing. Here’s Why
Properly worn, it’s vastly superior against Omicron. Say it loud and ramp up its availability.
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Give FFP3 masks to NHS staff during Omicron, doctors say
NHS staff treating Covid patients should be given much more protective facewear than thin surgical masks to help them avoid getting infected during the Omicron rise, doctors say.
The British Medical Association (BMA), Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) and Doctors’ Association UK are calling for frontline personnel to be given FFP3 masks.
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Citing Omicron’s airborne ‘potential’, Ontario hospitals, LTC homes will now use N95 respirators with COVID patients
Ontario health officials are changing a key recommendation on the use of hospital personal protective equipment (PPE) in response to the “potential” that the highly-transmissible Omicron variant can spread at a distance through the air.
Health-care workers providing care to a “suspected or confirmed” COVID-19 patient in hospitals, long-term-care homes, or in a home-care situation will now be required to also use a “fit-tested, seal-checked N95 respirator,” according to interim guidance issued by Public Health Ontario Wednesday.
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Upgrading PPE for staff working on COVID-19 wards cut hospital-acquired infections dramatically
“Once FFP3 respirators were introduced, the number of cases attributed to exposure on COVID-19 wards dropped dramatically – in fact, our model suggests that FFP3 respirators may have cut ward-based infection to zero.”
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Cambridge hospital’s mask upgrade appears to eliminate Covid risk to staff
Hospital infection study shows use of FFP3 respirators at Addenbrooke’s ‘may have cut ward-based infection to zero’
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As supply of N95-style respirators grows, some say it’s time to upgrade our masks
Since the pandemic began, masking recommendations in Canada have centred on the idea of protecting others: my mask protects you, your mask protects me. However, more contagious and potentially more dangerous variants of COVID-19 have some asking if it’s time for an upgrade, so that people can rely on their masks to protect themselves as well as others.
Comments closedTopic: labour rightsView all posts for the topic: labour rights
Almonte hospital workers file grievance to access N95 masks
One of the country’s top arbitrators has been asked to settle a pandemic-related grievance filed by Almonte General Hospital health care workers, who want N95 respirators made available to them.
The hospital now issues N95 masks only to staff involved in aerosol-generating medical procedures, such as intubations.
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Video | The Astounding Physics of N95 Masks
The physics of N95 respirators is pretty incredible.
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Ontario, Alberta change policy limiting N95 masks as health-care workers demand greater access
At least two provinces have bowed to union pressure to let some health professionals use specialized respirator face masks when treating COVID-19 patients, sparking concern among infection-control experts this will undermine health workers’ trust in their advice.
Alberta and Ontario have reached agreements with unions to allow some health-care workers to use N95 respirator masks if they feel it is necessary. Nova Scotia’s largest nursing union is now calling on provincial officials to do the same.
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