1/ I wear an N95 at locations outside of my home. I wear it to the grocery store, pharmacy and my doctor's office.

It's comfortable, doesn't hurt my ears, doesn't fog up my glasses, and easy to breathe through. I can wear it all day, anywhere. EXCEPT at the hospital!
2/ Many health care facilities require visitors to REMOVE their superior respiratory PPE and don a basic surgical ASTM Level 1 mask.

This practice must stop.
3/ Here's my friend Annamaria's experience this past Thursday when she went to @NGHSimcoe for her second vaccination, shared with her permission👇
4/ @NGHSimcoe's current policy for visitors (and presumably all staff) is "must wear appropriate PPE including the hospital-issued mask".

NEWSFLASH: The hospital-issued mask is NOT appropriate respiratory protection. It's designed to protect against sprays of bodily fluids.
5/ The greatest potential route of COVID-19 infection is inhalation of small floating droplet nuclei (bioaerosol) containing SARS-CoV-2, produced when a person coughs, talks, or merely breathes. https://twitter.com/kprather88/status/1384935852569202689?s=20
6/ Universal masking helps reduce output, but aerosols still escape from a surgical mask.

(image source: Rothamer et al, 2020 https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.12.31.20249101v1)
7/ Many people at greater risk from the impacts of a COVID-19 infection have been advised by their physician to wear improved respiratory protection. Downgrading to a surgical mask goes against this advice, and the precautionary principle. It's asinine.
8/ Hospital IPAC:
🤔If I wear safety boots, will you require me to remove them and don hospital-provided clown shoes? No.

If you're actually worried about contamination you'd follow Ontario's COVID-19 workplace guidance and provide boot sanitizing trays or shoe covers.
9/ So, at the VERY MINIMUM please alter your policy to allow people to keep their own PPE and apply the surgical mask over top.
10/ Look to others:
1️⃣Trillium Health Partners changed their policy in 24 hours👇 https://twitter.com/SabiVM/status/1378377542038654977?s=20
11/ 2️⃣University Health Network also changed their policy in 24 hours👇 https://twitter.com/LadyScorcher/status/1387889760593661955?s=20
12/ 3️⃣ @NGHSimcoe will you be next? I have my vaccination appointment on Tuesday 🎉🥳🎉 and on the advice of my physician I will be wearing a fit-tested N95 and will NOT remove it for inferior protection indoors. Please alter your masking policy like THP & UHN did.
13/ ⚠Attention ALL EMPLOYERS:
Please allow your employees up their mask game. Ideally, provide it for them. Essential workers deserve it. Your continued business operation without ill workers justifies it.
You can follow @DavidElfstrom.
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