Buy certified masks for all
Ohio is at a coronavirus crossroads.
Once a national leader in prevention and slowing the spread, Ohio is now second nationally in deaths per day from COVID-19, adjusted for population, and first among all other states for the number of people dying of COVID-19.
The New York Times shows about 128 Ohioans are dying each day from COVID-19.
The new Omicron variant, while less severe overall, is so contagious that it has packed Ohio's hospital ICUS.
The state is also second nationally for hospitalizations driven by COVID, and while vaccinations continue to be a critical tool in fighting the virus, particularly in reducing hospitalizations and deaths, Omicron is proving able to cause breakthrough cases among vaccinated individuals at a rate much higher than other variants.
Plus, the federal government has said rapid, athome tests are not proving reliable in detecting Omicron – part of why we are seeing the quickest explosion in case numbers since the pandemic began.
The short-term solution is simple: as many Ohioans as possible, as quickly as possible, need to receive quality-certified masks that offer tight fits around the mouth and nose, and high filtration, preferably greater than 95%.
Widespread usage of such masks will dramatically lower transmission of the virus, from the classroom to health care settings, and will help us keep schools and businesses open.
The legislature and the governor deserve kudos for recognizing the need to raise the quality of masks the state and its partners are buying with new language in Ohio House Bill 169.
Passed late last year, the law requires that the state and entities receiving Covid-relief money – including school districts, hospitals, nursing homes and child care providers – must, going forward, buy personal protective equipment with that federal money which is Fda-authorized or certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
In plain English, Fda-authorized translates to surgical masks found in health care settings, like what a surgeon wears. And Niosh-certified translates to respirators, like N-95s.
While there are foreign-made Fda-authorized and Niosh-certified masks, there are significant concerns about counterfeiting and quality controls when purchasing such face coverings from abroad.
The CDC cites that as many as 65% of KN95 masks are counterfeit. That's why it's important that Ohioans, and entities buying personal protective equipment with federal money, are aware there are Ohio manufacturers that are compliant with this law.
Phoenix Quality Manufacturing in Jackson, ALG Health in Bryan, and Heartland Health Products in Middletown, all members of the Buy Ohio PPE Manufacturers' Network, have jumped through quality control hoops at the federal level to produce certified, high-filtration masks.
The State of Ohio can significantly reduce the strain that this new wave of COVID cases is causing on our healthcare system, schools, and businesses, by purchasing and distributing these Ohio-made masks to every household in the state, using federal funds earmarked for pandemic-related expenses.
Rick Hodges is former director of the Ohio Department of Health, and is the current director of the Ohio Alliance for Innovation in Population Health and an executive-in-residence at Ohio University.