07-26-2020, 08:33 PM
d4 wrote:
[quote=TheCaber]
She had but one mask to use for her entire shift, she had to bring it home with her, spray it with cleaning fluid (bleach? hydrogen peroxide?) and store it overnight in a 'baggie', then bring it to work the next day
The nurse in the article is wearing a 3-ply mask. Is that the type of mask your niece (the author's coworker) is repeatedly reusing? Even in the early days of the pandemic, masks were available online. Expensive, but they were available. Now 3-ply masks are $6/box of 50. Unless she's talking about N95 masks. Those were maybe $3 each online in March/April. Cheaper now. Was your niece not able to find and purchase masks online for herself?
Your information on the availability of NIOSH-approved medical N95 masks (respirator type) is not correct. We still have a shortage of those in healthcare settings.
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/pers...9-pandemic
Yes the nurse/writer is wearing a surgical mask in the photo - ever seen a photo of yourself in an N95 mask? Less cute. But she writes this:
Next I take off my surgical mask (the type we all wear around the floor and the hospital campus), put on a pair of gloves, and pick up my “dirty” N95 mask (“dirty,” because it has already been used in other rooms). I try to be mindful of touching the outside with only one designated hand. This designated hand holds the outside of the mask as my clean hand guides the straps to the back of my head.