Images of people walking around with medical-style face masks have fed a black market for them, but the sudden popularity hasnB次元官网网址檛 helped public health in the COVID-19 pandemic, B.C.B次元官网网址檚 Provincial Health Officer says.
Dr. Bonnie Henry has been asked frequently about the value of N95 masks, so named because they stop 95 per cent of particles three microns or bigger. A coronavirus particle is one to two microns in size, and Canadian and U.S. public health authorities donB次元官网网址檛 recommend them for general consumer use. The standard disposable masks stop most droplets coming out of your mouth, but not virus particles coming in.
B次元官网网址淪o if IB次元官网网址檓 not sick, itB次元官网网址檚 not effective,B次元官网网址� Henry said during a TV town hall meeting on the pandemic in Vancouver March 19. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not something that, when IB次元官网网址檓 out in public, is going to protect me in any way. And as a matter of fact, people often fiddle with it, and contaminate themselves, and it can lead to more risk.B次元官网网址�
Henry has written a book called , after working on the SARS pandemic in 2003. She later was involved in ebola outbreaks in Africa that started in 2012.
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use N95 respirators with eye protection, face visors and gowns when treating people who have tested positive for the coronavirus. N95 respirators are a more tight-fitting mask than the disposable ones commonly seen on streets.
B次元官网网址淲here it is incredibly important is in the health care system,B次元官网网址� Henry said. B次元官网网址淎nd we need to make sure we have masks and respirators for our health care providers to make sure that they stay safe. And if I am sick, then a mask can help. It can help keep my droplets in so that IB次元官网网址檓 not infecting others.B次元官网网址�
Health Minister Adrian Dix says B.C. has sufficient supplies of protective gear and more on order for people working in health facilities as demand for medical care climbs.
Premier John Horgan warned that the province will B次元官网网址渃rack down pretty hardB次元官网网址� on those trying to buy up and resell disinfectants, masks or other protective gear. B.C.B次元官网网址檚 emergency authority will be used as necessary to protect public health, he said on the broadcast.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no space for profiteering in a time of crisis,B次元官网网址� Horgan said.
tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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