Face mask shortage prompts CDC to alter coronavirus guidance
A shortage of specialized masks has prompted federal health officials to loosen their recommendations on the face protection that front line health care workers should use to prevent infection from the highly contagious disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Instead of recommending that health care workers use specialized masks known as N95 respirators, which filter out about 95% of airborne particles, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted new guidelines Tuesday, saying that “the supply chain of respirators cannot meet demand” and that looser fitting surgical face masks “are an acceptable alternative.”
The more commonly worn surgical masks will limit — but not eliminate — the chance of inhaling large, infectious particles circulating near the face. Until Tuesday, the CDC had recommended that health care workers interacting with coronavirus patients or suspected cases wear N95 respirators, along with gowns, gloves and eye protectors. The N95 filters must be customfitted and cost more than surgical masks.
The CDC guidance has been developing for days, and more than a dozen unions had previously said they were opposed to any changes in recommendations because emerging diseases such as COVID-19 pose an occupational hazard for workers on the front lines, especially health care workers.
“We are strongly opposed to any measures that fail to provide optimal protection and infection control standards,” they wrote in a letter to CDC officials Friday. The unions include National Nurses United, the American Federation of Teachers, and the Transport Workers Union of America. “Now is the time to use every possible tool available to guarantee the highest level of protection, guided by the precautionary principle, to prevent further spread of infection, protect healthcare workers, and preserve our capacity to respond to a widespread outbreak.”
The CDC guidance said the changes were prompted by the shortages. Surgical face masks will block the respiratory droplets produced by patients who cough or sneeze, which is the primary way the virus is spread.
The CDC is recommending that N95 respirators be reserved for protecting workers in the riskiest situations, where fine aerosol is likely to be generated. These include certain medical procedures such as intubation, which helps a severely ill patient breathe. CDC’s guidelines also recommend that health care facilities consider alternatives to the N95 masks, such as more elaborate (and expensive) powered air purifying respirators.
“I recognize that individual facilities may face shortages of certain types of personal protective equipment, including N95 respirators, but there is no evidence that surgical masks are adequate to prevent exposure of frontline health care workers to the virus that causes COVID19. CDC should prioritize conserving equipment and systematically addressing any shortages as they occur, instead of placing every health care worker at increased risk,” said Rep. Robert Scott, D-Va., who chairs the House Committee on Education and Labor.
The United States has about 1% of the 3.5 billion respirators that experts estimate the health care system needs a year to fight a severe influenza pandemic.