Masks

[jesmu84]

I just had a procedure in a hospital yesterday. Nurse said they get one mask a day. It did not look like an N95 mask. This hospital has an entire floor for covid patients.
There was a scrubs vending machine in the lobby too. Nurses are the new teachers when it comes to supplies.

Scrubs machines are common and are used for all OR staff

[GooooMarquette]

Those scrubs vending machines have been around forever. It's standard practice. Essentially you put dirty scrubs in and they give clean ones. It's a very safe and effective way to handle it.

In addition to the cleanliness factor, it probably minimizes 'losing' scrubs to become PJs for docs and nurses.

I remember the old days, when there'd be a big bin full of clean scrubs, and another bin to toss your dirty ones in.

[Galway Eagle]

The show scrubs did a whole bit on the scrubs vending machine years ago and also about doctors stealing them

[jesmu84]

Maybe I just don't know any of them...

But I don't know any healthcare worker who has stolen scrubs. I know a ton who take a stack to wear into the hospital from home - some change when they get to the hospital, some don't.

Note, this only applies to OR staff. Not floor staff, ER, etc.

[MU82]

Most coronavirus clusters at NC schools have been at private schools, which had been exempt from mask mandates for whatever reason.

The governor says, OK that's enough. Masks are now required at such schools.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/education/article247397165.html?ac_cid=DM331580&ac_bid=-1322971583

[Marquette Fan]

Most coronavirus clusters at NC schools have been at private schools, which had been exempt from mask mandates for whatever reason.

The governor says, OK that's enough. Masks are now required at such schools.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/education/article247397165.html?ac_cid=DM331580&ac_bid=-1322971583

It's crazy to me that any school would be in session now without a mask requirement. 

There was some talk in our District about not having a mask requirement to start the year since Wisconsin had a mask mandate.  But I'm glad they put in their own mask rule as the state mask mandate may get overturned.

[MU82]

For public high schools in Mecklenburg County, NC's largest, volleyball and swimming seasons have begun and basketball will start practice in about a week, with play starting Jan. 4.

Volleyball players have to wear masks during competition, as will basketball players. Swimmers don't have to wear masks in the water but must wear them immediately before and after.

"It is not fun," Ardrey Kell junior volleyball player Alexis Shelton said. "In the beginning, it wasn't that bad but once you get sweaty, the mask gets wet and it's hard to breathe. I feel like I got used to it in a week or two, but in the beginning it was really hard to get used to it. It's difficult for all of us, but it's way better than not playing."

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/high-school/article247422090.html?ac_cid=DM332253&ac_bid=-1315223283

[pbiflyer]

Scrubs machines are common and are used for all OR staff

Good to know. The fact that the staff gets one mask a day, a non N95 one at that, is disturbing.

[GooooMarquette]

Good to know. The fact that the staff gets one mask a day, a non N95 one at that, is disturbing.

Agreed. Trump's refusal to invoke the DPA for production of N95 masks is a travesty. Every frontline healthcare worker and first responder in the country should have ready access to N95 or similar masks by now.

Seeing video of providers in emergency rooms wearing simple paper masks is so sad.

[rocket surgeon]

my assistant of 3 months quit her job as a phlebotomist at children's hospital.  i still find this very hard to believe and asked her 14 times, but i did hear it repeated somewhere else-they share masks?????

  pleasepleaseplease tell me that my assistant is confused or missing something but we sure in the hell don't share masks in my office. hell, we don't even share the same coffee mugs 

[tower912]

She is not confused.   It is that bad.   

[rocket surgeon]

She is not confused.   It is that bad.

  okey dokey, but we ain't sharing masks-period

  hope your dad is doing better

[rocky_warrior]

She is not confused.   It is that bad.

+10  Near impossible for medical professionals to get medical grade masks.  In fact, I know of one shipment by a well-known medically provider, with an impeccable reputation turned out to be  cheap knock-offs - not medically certified.  There are problems in the supply chain.

[rocket surgeon]

+10  Near impossible for medical professionals to get medical grade masks.  In fact, I know of one shipment by a well-known medically provider, with an impeccable reputation turned out to be  cheap knock-offs - not medically certified.  There are problems in the supply chain.

  color me weird, but i'd rather wear a double level 3 with a cheap knock off than share a mask with a stranger.  we sterilize and change our nitrous oxide nose inserts between patients. we don't wash our light handles or suction tips, etc.   hope they ain't sharing gloves

[GooooMarquette]

  color me weird, but i'd rather wear a double level 3 with a cheap knock off than share a mask with a stranger.  we sterilize and change our nitrous oxide nose inserts between patients. we don't wash our light handles or suction tips, etc.   hope they ain't sharing gloves

In normal times, no reputable hospital would remotely consider it either. Unfortunately, these are not normal times, and they are desperately short of PPE in many places.

[MU82]

In normal times, no reputable hospital would remotely consider it either. Unfortunately, these are not normal times, and they are desperately short of PPE in many places.

Yep, despite the emperor's claims to the contrary, this is a huge problem. It's become an especially big problem in rural hospitals.

[rocket surgeon]

In normal times, no reputable hospital would remotely consider it either. Unfortunately, these are not normal times, and they are desperately short of PPE in many places.

i understand gooo, but if it's "acceptable" to pretty much wear anything you can fashion into a "mask" and it is "mandated" to wear in order to be "safe", then strapping any form of cloth, with one or two level 3"s (which are in abundance) has got to be way more sanitary than sharing anything.  what if the co worker was assymptomatically covid positive and/or a carrier?  this just does not make any sense to me at all.  you can get cheap level 2 and/or 3's by the case!  with the exception of medical grade n95's, it has been established that masks are only so effective.  a couple of multi-ply paper towels are safer than sharing

[rocky_warrior]

  color me weird, but i'd rather wear a double level 3 with a cheap knock off than share a mask with a stranger.

i understand gooo, but if it's "acceptable" to pretty much wear anything you can fashion into a "mask" and it is "mandated" to wear in order to be "safe", then strapping any form of cloth, with one or two level 3"s (which are in abundance) has got to be way more sanitary than sharing anything.

you can get cheap level 2 and/or 3's by the case!  with the exception of medical grade n95's, it has been established that masks are only so effective.  a couple of multi-ply paper towels are safer than sharing

I don't disagree with you, but clearly you're part of a "small time" medical operation.  Try getting "cheap level 2 and/or 3's by the case"  to pass muster in a multi-state level organization with several layers of oversight and several state OSHA organizations to deal with.  They'd shut you down in a second. 

Also, maybe your employees are on board, but many medical employees know the difference between medically qualified equipment and cheap knock-offs.  There's a high likelihood they'd report you for endangering their safety for that too.

That's all to say - I think we agree.  There's still a severe shortage of medical grade PPE - and that's a bad thing.

[MU82]

My wife watched the poor mask-wearing (often no mask-wearing) by Spoonhour and his staff and most players on the EIU bench last night and said, "I am gonna be so pissed if Marquette has a COVID flare-up in the next 1-2 weeks because these a-holes refused to wear their masks."

[GooooMarquette]

i understand gooo, but if it's "acceptable" to pretty much wear anything you can fashion into a "mask" and it is "mandated" to wear in order to be "safe", then strapping any form of cloth, with one or two level 3"s (which are in abundance) has got to be way more sanitary than sharing anything.  what if the co worker was assymptomatically covid positive and/or a carrier?  this just does not make any sense to me at all.  you can get cheap level 2 and/or 3's by the case!  with the exception of medical grade n95's, it has been established that masks are only so effective.  a couple of multi-ply paper towels are safer than sharing

My understanding is that hospitals are sterilizing N95s between uses. That should eliminate the question of cross-contamination between providers. I suspect this strategy is based on hospitals' assumptions that a reused (sterilized) N95 is still more effective than a fresh cloth mask. I don't know if this assumption is correct, but that seems to be their calculus.

In any event, I do not believe any hospitals are allowing staff to share masks that haven't been sterilized between uses.

Either way, the shortage of medical-grade PPE is leading hospitals to make very difficult choices...in this case, between sterilizing a medical-grade mask that wasn't meant to be sterilized, our using a non-medical-grade mask. Neither option is ideal, nor would either be used in normal times, but the choice is being made because of a severe shortage that should not exist.

Trump should invoke the DPA now, so frontline workers don't have to make this impossible choice....

[4everwarriors]

UV light is yur friend, aina?

[forgetful]

My understanding is that hospitals are sterilizing N95s between uses. That should eliminate the question of cross-contamination between providers. I suspect this strategy is based on hospitals' assumptions that a reused (sterilized) N95 is still more effective than a fresh cloth mask. I don't know if this assumption is correct, but that seems to be their calculus.

In any event, I do not believe any hospitals are allowing staff to share masks that haven't been sterilized between uses.

Either way, the shortage of medical-grade PPE is leading hospitals to make very difficult choices...in this case, between sterilizing a medical-grade mask that wasn't meant to be sterilized, our using a non-medical-grade mask. Neither option is ideal, nor would either be used in normal times, but the choice is being made because of a severe shortage that should not exist.

Trump should invoke the DPA now, so frontline workers don't have to make this impossible choice....

This is my understanding as well.

One of my former students was originally developing partnerships with local clinics/hospitals etc., to repurpose unused (because of COVID shutdowns) biosafety cabinets to use their sterilization setups to sterilize N95s. They later switched to providing technical information to these small clinics for how they can get sterilization systems, or build their own (they were originally working to develop their own, low cost system; but so many alternatives were out there they thought just providing guidance was more helpful). The alternative was people reusing/sharing masks, or going without.

I actually have a friend who worked in NYC, in March/April, at one point she had to treat patients without a mask, as there was no available PPE.

[Marquette Fan]

The Rockettes did just fine wearing a mask while performing in the Macy's Parade on Thanksgiving:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/26/us/rockettes-macys-thanksgiving-parade-masks-trnd/index.html

"If the Rockettes can wear a mask in the Macy's parade... you can wear one in Target for 10 minutes," wrote one Twitter user.

[Warriors4ever]

https://www.king5.com/mobile/article/news/health/coronavirus/mayo-study-proves-effectiveness-of-masks-and-social-distancing/89-c5afee25-f2a3-4923-a41c-996ad0ff0373?fbclid=IwAR3jOp3h8K5925alwKj1F6VcZZ2ZDtn9sW1lEoq3kJglvcTz6o-MNw94c4g

Mayo study says masks are effective. Also distancing.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

The Rockettes did just fine wearing a mask while performing in the Macy's Parade on Thanksgiving:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/26/us/rockettes-macys-thanksgiving-parade-masks-trnd/index.html

"If the Rockettes can wear a mask in the Macy's parade... you can wear one in Target for 10 minutes," wrote one Twitter user.

B.S.  no target visit is under 10 minutes or $100.