San Pedro/port Of Los Angeles, CA
Quoted from PantherCityPins:Let me try to explain the n-95 issue a bit. I can understand why someone would question why a healthcare worker would need an n-95 yet they don’t need one for personal use. Here’s why:
N-95s are currently recommended during aerosolization procedures like intubations or bronchoscopies. This is because during these procedures air and material from inside the lungs are aerosolized into the air and put the doctors and nurses doing the procedure at high risk. PPE is a matter of degrees. You could argue that everyone being in level 4 isolation suits would be the best but that simply isn’t possible. Neither is everyone walking to the grocery store wearing an N-95. For walking around, a simple surgical mask has been shown to be effective in protecting yourself from another person who may cough or sneeze. Staying 6 feet away from others is also effective.
If you take the selfish route and decide your personal need for an N-95 with low risk of exposure is higher than an ICU doc who is swimming in virus during a procedure while trying to save someone else’s life....well I don’t know what to say to that.
Aren’t all the N-95 masks sold out to the public? Shouldn’t the manufacturers be forced to now sell all newly produced masks directly to the hospitals? Has this been mandated?
