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‘It Feels Like a War Zone’: Doctors and Nurses Plead for Masks on Social Media ‘It Feels Like a War Zone’: Doctors and Nurses Plead for Masks on Social Media
(2 months later)
An intensive-care nurse in Illinois was told to make a single-use mask last for five days.An intensive-care nurse in Illinois was told to make a single-use mask last for five days.
An emergency room doctor in California said her colleagues had started storing dirty masks in plastic containers to use again later with different patients.An emergency room doctor in California said her colleagues had started storing dirty masks in plastic containers to use again later with different patients.
A pediatrician in Washington State, trying to make her small stock last, has been spraying each mask with alcohol after use, until it breaks down.A pediatrician in Washington State, trying to make her small stock last, has been spraying each mask with alcohol after use, until it breaks down.
“The situation is terrible, really terrible,” said Dr. Niran Al-Agba, 45, the pediatrician. “I don’t think we were prepared.”“The situation is terrible, really terrible,” said Dr. Niran Al-Agba, 45, the pediatrician. “I don’t think we were prepared.”
Dr. Al-Agba was one of hundreds of health care workers this week who appealed to the public for help confronting the coronavirus pandemic, which has sickened thousands and killed more than 140 people in the United States.Dr. Al-Agba was one of hundreds of health care workers this week who appealed to the public for help confronting the coronavirus pandemic, which has sickened thousands and killed more than 140 people in the United States.
As hospital supplies have dwindled, the vice president has called on construction companies to donate masks, the surgeon general has urged the public to stop buying them, and experts have warned that, the more doctors and nurses who get sick, the greater strain on a system already stretched thin.As hospital supplies have dwindled, the vice president has called on construction companies to donate masks, the surgeon general has urged the public to stop buying them, and experts have warned that, the more doctors and nurses who get sick, the greater strain on a system already stretched thin.
Now, doctors, nurses and others are rallying on social media with the hashtag #GetMePPE, referring to personal protective equipment like masks, gowns and face shields, to put pressure on elected leaders to get them more gear to guard against infection. Some suggested that members of the public reach out to a nearby hospital if they had masks or other medical equipment to donate.Now, doctors, nurses and others are rallying on social media with the hashtag #GetMePPE, referring to personal protective equipment like masks, gowns and face shields, to put pressure on elected leaders to get them more gear to guard against infection. Some suggested that members of the public reach out to a nearby hospital if they had masks or other medical equipment to donate.
Medical professionals need a large supply of the masks because they are in direct contact with infected patients and must change their masks repeatedly. The World Health Organization’s guidelines recommend that health workers use surgical masks to cover their mouths and noses, but some hospitals require masks known as N95s, which are thicker, fit more tightly around the mouth and nose, and block out much smaller particles than surgical masks do.Medical professionals need a large supply of the masks because they are in direct contact with infected patients and must change their masks repeatedly. The World Health Organization’s guidelines recommend that health workers use surgical masks to cover their mouths and noses, but some hospitals require masks known as N95s, which are thicker, fit more tightly around the mouth and nose, and block out much smaller particles than surgical masks do.
Charnai Prefontaine, an I.C.U. nurse in Illinois, said she’s asking the public to implore lawmakers and government officials to speed up the process of bringing resources to hospitals.Charnai Prefontaine, an I.C.U. nurse in Illinois, said she’s asking the public to implore lawmakers and government officials to speed up the process of bringing resources to hospitals.
“I would like to say there’s some major happy ending where a cowboy comes in with a ton of masks and we’re saved, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon,” said Ms. Prefontaine, 30, who regularly interacts with patients suffering from respiratory issues. “I think it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”“I would like to say there’s some major happy ending where a cowboy comes in with a ton of masks and we’re saved, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon,” said Ms. Prefontaine, 30, who regularly interacts with patients suffering from respiratory issues. “I think it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”
The emergency room doctor based in Northern California, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid a conflict with her employer, said her hospital had already treated several Covid-19 patients, forcing several exposed employees to quarantine at home.The emergency room doctor based in Northern California, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid a conflict with her employer, said her hospital had already treated several Covid-19 patients, forcing several exposed employees to quarantine at home.
Dr. Vidya Ramanathan, 43, a pediatrician in Michigan, said the need was dire.Dr. Vidya Ramanathan, 43, a pediatrician in Michigan, said the need was dire.
There aren’t enough sanitizer wipes to clean the workers’ face shields and her hospital is almost out of masks, she said.There aren’t enough sanitizer wipes to clean the workers’ face shields and her hospital is almost out of masks, she said.
The hospital where Dr. Ramanathan works has set up tents outside the building and established a triage system so that those who don’t require further care can be sent home for quarantine. The process protects patients and workers inside the hospital and conserves the diminishing stock of protective equipment, she said.The hospital where Dr. Ramanathan works has set up tents outside the building and established a triage system so that those who don’t require further care can be sent home for quarantine. The process protects patients and workers inside the hospital and conserves the diminishing stock of protective equipment, she said.
“Health care workers are working diligently to keep the pandemic at bay,” Dr. Ramanathan said. “We hope that everybody takes this as seriously as we are. The keys for the public are social distancing and staying at home.”“Health care workers are working diligently to keep the pandemic at bay,” Dr. Ramanathan said. “We hope that everybody takes this as seriously as we are. The keys for the public are social distancing and staying at home.”
Dr. Al-Agba, who runs a private practice about 10 miles west of downtown Seattle, said she had been monitoring the virus’s spread in the community since a person died at a nursing care center in Kirkland, Wash., in February.Dr. Al-Agba, who runs a private practice about 10 miles west of downtown Seattle, said she had been monitoring the virus’s spread in the community since a person died at a nursing care center in Kirkland, Wash., in February.
Days later, Dr. Al-Agba asked her medical distributor to order gowns and N95s — but they were already all sold out. Then, she said, she was told by a regional health care nonprofit that has been helping to distribute medical supplies that she could not get any protective equipment because she wasn’t on the front line.Days later, Dr. Al-Agba asked her medical distributor to order gowns and N95s — but they were already all sold out. Then, she said, she was told by a regional health care nonprofit that has been helping to distribute medical supplies that she could not get any protective equipment because she wasn’t on the front line.
She had to rely on community donations.She had to rely on community donations.
“Someone left two boxes of masks on my doorstep,” Dr. Al-Agba said. “I will make them last; I’ll spray each one with alcohol and keep using it until it breaks down. We’re really improvising here.”“Someone left two boxes of masks on my doorstep,” Dr. Al-Agba said. “I will make them last; I’ll spray each one with alcohol and keep using it until it breaks down. We’re really improvising here.”
For weeks now, she said, she’s been conducting “car visits” with her patients who have a cough or a fever. The patient is instructed to pull up to the side of the office while Dr. Al-Agba puts on goggles, a mask, gloves and a zippered, hazmat-like suit. Then she approaches the vehicle.For weeks now, she said, she’s been conducting “car visits” with her patients who have a cough or a fever. The patient is instructed to pull up to the side of the office while Dr. Al-Agba puts on goggles, a mask, gloves and a zippered, hazmat-like suit. Then she approaches the vehicle.
“After practicing for 20 years and being a third-generation doctor, I can tell you this is new territory,” Dr. Al-Agba said. “I don’t know if we’ve ever had to go to work and fear for our lives in the same way.”“After practicing for 20 years and being a third-generation doctor, I can tell you this is new territory,” Dr. Al-Agba said. “I don’t know if we’ve ever had to go to work and fear for our lives in the same way.”
The hospital shortages stem mainly from the prolonged outbreak in China and a widespread buying of masks by anxious citizens in the United States and around the world.The hospital shortages stem mainly from the prolonged outbreak in China and a widespread buying of masks by anxious citizens in the United States and around the world.
China produced half of the world’s supply even before the coronavirus emerged there. As the country grappled with an outbreak, it expanded its mask production by nearly 12-fold, but hoarded what it made. As a result, worries about mask supplies have risen as the epidemic in Asia rapidly transformed into a pandemic that reached more than 140 countries and all 50 U.S. states.China produced half of the world’s supply even before the coronavirus emerged there. As the country grappled with an outbreak, it expanded its mask production by nearly 12-fold, but hoarded what it made. As a result, worries about mask supplies have risen as the epidemic in Asia rapidly transformed into a pandemic that reached more than 140 countries and all 50 U.S. states.
Last month, the U.S. surgeon general, Jerome M. Adams, urged the public to stop buying masks, warning that they would take away important resources from health care professionals. This week, Vice President Mike Pence asked construction companies to donate their N95 masks to local hospitals, and to stop making new orders.Last month, the U.S. surgeon general, Jerome M. Adams, urged the public to stop buying masks, warning that they would take away important resources from health care professionals. This week, Vice President Mike Pence asked construction companies to donate their N95 masks to local hospitals, and to stop making new orders.
A person is more likely to get infected by touching contaminated surfaces than from a droplet traveling through the air, according to infectious disease experts, who also warn about accidental contamination by touching the outside of the mask.But they also encourage health care workers to take serious precautions, given the risk their work exposes them to.A person is more likely to get infected by touching contaminated surfaces than from a droplet traveling through the air, according to infectious disease experts, who also warn about accidental contamination by touching the outside of the mask.But they also encourage health care workers to take serious precautions, given the risk their work exposes them to.
Updated June 1, 2020
Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home.
States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
More than 40 million people — the equivalent of 1 in 4 U.S. workers — have filed for unemployment benefits since the pandemic took hold. One in five who were working in February reported losing a job or being furloughed in March or the beginning of April, data from a Federal Reserve survey released on May 14 showed, and that pain was highly concentrated among low earners. Fully 39 percent of former workers living in a household earning $40,000 or less lost work, compared with 13 percent in those making more than $100,000, a Fed official said.
Yes, but make sure you keep six feet of distance between you and people who don’t live in your home. Even if you just hang out in a park, rather than go for a jog or a walk, getting some fresh air, and hopefully sunshine, is a good idea.
Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications.
The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested.
Charity Navigator, which evaluates charities using a numbers-based system, has a running list of nonprofits working in communities affected by the outbreak. You can give blood through the American Red Cross, and World Central Kitchen has stepped in to distribute meals in major cities.
“We don’t have immunity; we don’t have prior exposure; a lot of people are susceptible and the virus is easily transmittable,” said Dr. Lucy Wilson, a professor of emergency health services at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. “I think it’s pretty unprecedented in modern times, and we are entering the crisis point.”“We don’t have immunity; we don’t have prior exposure; a lot of people are susceptible and the virus is easily transmittable,” said Dr. Lucy Wilson, a professor of emergency health services at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. “I think it’s pretty unprecedented in modern times, and we are entering the crisis point.”
Dr. Wilson, an infectious disease physician and former public health official, said potential solutions to the shortage could include the federal stockpile, masks donated from other industries and increased domestic production.Dr. Wilson, an infectious disease physician and former public health official, said potential solutions to the shortage could include the federal stockpile, masks donated from other industries and increased domestic production.
The federal government’s Strategic National Stockpile of medical supplies includes 12 million medical-grade N95 masks and 30 million surgical masks — only about 1 percent of the 3.5 billion masks that the Department of Health and Human Services estimates would be needed over the course of a year.The federal government’s Strategic National Stockpile of medical supplies includes 12 million medical-grade N95 masks and 30 million surgical masks — only about 1 percent of the 3.5 billion masks that the Department of Health and Human Services estimates would be needed over the course of a year.
During similar outbreaks in the past, like the SARS epidemic in 2003, a large number of hospital workers got infected, Dr. Wilson said. Protecting medical professionals is essential to managing the pandemic.During similar outbreaks in the past, like the SARS epidemic in 2003, a large number of hospital workers got infected, Dr. Wilson said. Protecting medical professionals is essential to managing the pandemic.
“Health care workers have become very vocal about their safety concerns because they are really on the battlefield 24 hours a day,” Dr. Wilson said. “They have organized and are raising awareness.”“Health care workers have become very vocal about their safety concerns because they are really on the battlefield 24 hours a day,” Dr. Wilson said. “They have organized and are raising awareness.”
Doctors and nurses who get sick can’t provide care for their patients, putting a tremendous strain on a health care system that is already in need of resources, she said.Doctors and nurses who get sick can’t provide care for their patients, putting a tremendous strain on a health care system that is already in need of resources, she said.
“This is a think-outside-the-box situation, and we as a country need to be innovative,” Dr. Al-Agba said. “It feels like a war zone a little bit. We need to do as much as we can to save as many as we can.”“This is a think-outside-the-box situation, and we as a country need to be innovative,” Dr. Al-Agba said. “It feels like a war zone a little bit. We need to do as much as we can to save as many as we can.”