COVID is on the rise again, with a peak likely over the holiday season. Given this, health authorities in a number of Australian states have…
Comments closedTopic: universal maskingView all posts for the topic: universal masking
Tag: universal masking
Topic: AustraliaView all posts for the topic: Australia
WA public hospitals strengthen mask-wearing requirements in response to surging COVID cases
Surging COVID cases in Western Australia has seen the first public health measures introduced since the state’s COVID-19 ‘state of emergency’ declaration was dropped.
From Monday, all staff and patients in high-risk hospital clinical areas must wear masks.
Comments closedTopic: human rightsView all posts for the topic: human rights
Physicians’ Refusal to Wear Masks to Protect Vulnerable Patients—An Ethical Dilemma for the Medical Profession
On May 11, 2023, the US federal government put an end to the COVID-19–related public health emergency. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) no longer recommends routine universal masking in most health care settings. Many clinicians and staff at hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes around the country have stopped regularly wearing masks. A conflict might arise when patients who are immunocompromised or have other risk factors that increase their susceptibility to COVID-19 complications seek health care and encounter an unmasked clinician. Individuals who have such conditions are considered disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Those disabled patients nowadays must embark on a “personal crusade for public health” to have their needs met.
Comments closedTopic: public health measuresView all posts for the topic: public health measures
Substantial decrease noted in severe respiratory illness during first 2 years of pandemic
Compared to the 3 years prior to the pandemic, children with medically complex conditions and otherwise healthy children saw decreases in severe non-COVID respiratory illnesses in 2020 and 2021, the authors of a study yesterday note in JAMA Network Open.
The cross-sectional study, based on 139,078 respiratory hospitalizations in Canada, shows that the mitigation efforts used during the first several months of COVID-19 likely prevented serious outcomes from respiratory illness complications, including hospitalizations, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and death.
Comments closedTopic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario
Province tightens masking rules in long-term care, critics say more needs to be done
More than 100 long-term care residents have died of COVID-19 since late August.
Continue readingProvince tightens masking rules in long-term care, critics say more needs to be done
Comments closed Topic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario
Le port du masque obligatoire dans les foyers de soins de longue durée en Ontario
Ontario’s provincial government has announced that staff in long-term care homes are now required to wear masks in the face of an increase in COVID-19 outbreaks, cases and hospitalizations of residents.
Comments closedTopic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario
Ontario requires masking for long-term care home staff amid rise in COVID‑19 outbreaks
Masking is now required for staff in long term care homes across Ontario amid a recent rise in COVID‑19 outbreaks, cases and resident hospitalizations, the provincial government says.
Comments closed
Topic: take actionView all posts for the topic: take action
Ontario: Keep masks in healthcare!
📣 Let hospital CEOs and MPPs know you want universal masking with respirators in Ontario hospitals
✉️ Send letters to voice your support for universal masking with respirators in hospitals. You can use your own email software to send the letters.
Why take action? SARS-CoV-2 is an airborne, level 3 pathogen. We need universal masking with respirators to prevent COVID-induced health issues, including long COVID, cognitive issues, and cardiovascular diseases.
Please take a moment to voice your support for universal masking with respirators in Ontario hospitals!
Comments closed
Topic: take actionView all posts for the topic: take action
Ontario: We need universal masking with respirators in our hospitals!
Protect our health – please send a letter to support universal masking with respirators in Ontario’s hospitals!
Comments closedTopic: send your letter nowView all posts for the topic: send your letter now
Ottawa: We need universal masking with respirators in our hospitals!
Protect our health – please send a letter to support universal masking with respirators in hospitals!
Comments closedTopic: AlbertaView all posts for the topic: Alberta
AHS mask mandate takes effect at Drumheller health centre
The Drumheller Health Centre has become the first acute-care facility in southern Alberta to adopt AHS masking rules to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The mandate, posted by Alberta Health Services on Friday, requires all patients, visitors, and medical and non-medical staff to wear masks in areas where patients are cared for, including the long-term care and supportive living wings of the hospital, as well as the Community Cancer Centre.
Comments closedTopic: New BrunswickView all posts for the topic: New Brunswick
Horizon tightens mask rules again, starting Monday
Horizon Health Network is tightening its masking rules again, requiring all health-care workers, patients, visitors and designated support persons to wear a medical-grade mask in all patient and clinical areas of its facilities, starting Monday.
Comments closedTopic: NunavutView all posts for the topic: Nunavut
No plans to extend mask requirements: Health Department
The Nunavut government is not planning to expand the mask mandate it imposed last week at the territory’s health centres.
The Health Department announced the change Oct. 17 in a news release in light of “increasing numbers” of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.
Comments closedMasks are mandatory once again in all Nunavut health facilities due to increasing cases of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses that have been detected, the territory’s Health Department said Tuesday.
Comments closedTopic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia
BC’s new masking guidance isn’t enough
As of October 3, masks are mandatory for healthcare workers and visitors in settings that are accessible to patients, including areas where they receive care. This includes spaces like the rooms where doctors and nurses serve patients directly, or areas where patients may stay while waiting, such as lobbies. The policy also extends to contractors or volunteers in the area, but does not include private clinics or patients themselves.
Comments closedTopic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario
Face masks mandatory in all areas of Lakeridge Health facilities as of Monday, Oct. 16
As of today, Monday, Oct. 16, everyone is required to wear a medical grade mask when they enter any Lakeridge Health facility.
This is a change from the masking policy Lakeridge Health had in place in July 2023, when masks were only mandatory in patient-facing areas, and were optional but recommended in all other areas of the hospital.
Comments closedTopic: universal maskingView all posts for the topic: universal masking
Covid deaths are on the rise again, so what happens? Mask-wearing in hospitals is scrapped
For some people, going to hospital may now be more dangerous than staying at home untreated. Many clinically vulnerable people fear, sometimes with good reason, that a visit to hospital or the doctors’ surgery could be the end of them.
Comments closedTopic: AlbertaView all posts for the topic: Alberta
Royal Alex becomes first Alberta hospital to bring back required masking
Health-care workers, contractors and patients now have to wear masks in some parts of the Royal Alexandra Hospital, in an effort to slow the spread of COVID‑19.
Comments closed