The Risks Of Using Lower-Grade Masks For Healthcare Workers

Pandemic or not, healthcare workers always need to wear a face mask and protection accessories when working in the healthcare environment. During the pandemic, there was an acute shortage of face masks and protective gear such as PPE. The federal authorities ruled that healthcare workers can use surgical masks when treating Covid-19 patients. The surgical masks are comparatively less protective than N95 respirator masks that provide much superior protection against the Coronavirus. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) allowed healthcare workers to use lower-grade masks as an acceptable alternative to N95 masks when performing low-risk procedures keeping in mind the shortage of medical supplies at the time. But as time passed, the evidence pointed out that using lower-grade surgical masks put the healthcare workers at significant health risk. Many healthcare workers that worked at the frontlines of treating coronavirus patients fell victim to the illness due to using lower-grade face masks and lack of protective equipment. As per reports, the healthcare workers made up almost 11% of covid-cases out of the country’s total covid cases. 

As per the evidence, lower-grade surgical masks cannot provide the required reliable protection to healthcare workers against the dangerous virus. Without high-grade respiratory face mask protection, the healthcare workers are vulnerable to airborne viruses such as Covid-19. The N95 face masks are designed to provide superior protection against airborne and droplet-based viruses. As per testings, the N95 masks can block 95% of extremely micro air particles from contacting the wearer’s face, which is very difficult to prevent with low-grade surgical masks.

Many health facilities are expanding their search for reliable suppliers of high-grade face masks and protection accessories to combat the scarcity that is still somewhat prevalent in the industry. Although it is not as scarce as it was at the beginning of the pandemic, it is a wise decision to find a few reliable distributors to ensure that your healthcare facilities can source reliable medical supplies in the future. If you are interested in finding a trustworthy distributor to buy face masks and protection accessories of the highest quality that adhere to the CDCguidelines, get in touch with our team today. 

About Elite Medical Accessories 

Elite Medical Accessories is a leading medical supply distribution company. We have more than 20 years of experience sourcing and distributing high-quality face masks, gloves, PPE, and other medical accessories across the United States. Please get in contact with our team to know more our products.