Frustrated researcher can’t even buy N95 masks to get crucial study going

A Hamilton researcher looking to answer one of the most critical questions of the pandemic is struggling to get needed supplies in what has been called the “Wild West” of procurement.

Dr. Mark Loeb has nearly $1 million in funding to determine whether health-care workers need surgical masks or N95 respirators to protect them when caring for COVID-19 patients. Nearly $625,000 was awarded Friday by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Juravinski Research Institute has given $300,000.

But the study is short thousands of N95 respirators.

“They’re very, very difficult to obtain,” said Loeb, the Michael G. DeGroote Chair in Infectious Diseases at McMaster University. “The company 3M is not providing them to us, they won’t even let us buy them.”

A statement from 3M says the “current high demand ... continues to outpace supply.”

“3M is prioritizing critical health care needs, including respirators for front-line health care workers, first-responders and other critical infrastructure users,” said the company.

However, all N95 respirators provided to the study would be used by front-line workers in hospitals and long-term care homes.

In fact, the study involving 580 workers would give many of them more access to the masks.

“It’s not being wasted on research,” said Loeb. “They’re being used for front-line healthcare workers.”

So far, the study has a “little stockpile” but Loeb needs 10,000 to 20,000 more, particularly for Hamilton long-termcare homes.

The study is also being conducted in Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal and Ottawa, but only Calgary has been able to recruit so far because the hospital there is providing the masks.

“We’ve had to go to a number of suppliers and every time we test them, it fails because the suppliers aren’t reliable,” said Loeb. “Our next step has been going to various pharmaceutical companies to see if they would be interested or any industry.”

3M says it’s supportive of scientific research.

“We would consider revisiting his request at a later time, once we are closer to meeting the critical demand in Canada,” states the company.