07-09-2020, 02:01 PM
I'm not in the business of acquiring or providing PPE so I don't know first hand, but of the places I've been watching, I don't see PPE availability as worrisome yet at hospitals. (The situation at care facilities, medical clinics, doctor's offices is likely different. I know of a small Texas care facility that has been unable to get such supplies for more than a month.)
Houston TMC: 5 months supply of N95 (1.4M), 4.5 months of surgical masks (18.5M), 8 months of gowns (12.7M), 1 month of gloves (25.7M)
Los Angeles Co.: Most supplies: 84% of hospitals have 15 day supplies. Gloves: 75% have 15 day supplies; Gowns: 65% have 15 day supplies
Santa Clara Co.: 9 (of 12) hospitals have 30 days supplies; 2 hospitals do not have 30 day supply and/or cannot move forward with procurement; 1 hospital not reporting. In the last 14 days, 3 hospitals, 26 care facilities, and 12 other health care facilities have requested PPE from the county EOC in the last 14 days. (as of July 7)
San Diego Co.: 6, up to 8 (depending on item), of 9 hospitals have 21 day supplies; 87% of hospitals have 15 day supplies.
(You can see PPE deliveries for California at https://covid19.ca.gov/data-and-tools/ )
Personally, I have bought non-NIOSH KN95 masks for my family's use. As they are not NIOSH approved, doctors generally won't use them so I'm not impacting their supply. I find they fit (cling to my face) MUCH better than any of the several cloth masks I have (which I now use on top of the KN95 to protect it from dirt, etc). I don't go out much so it hasn't been a concern to reuse them after a week. I haven't had to throw one out yet.
In a study on filtering aerosols by masks, an artificially introduced 1% gap in a N95 mask dramatically drops the efficacy of the mask. The same gap on a surgical masks reduces their filtering efficiency on aerosols down to 10-15%.
The study also measures filtering efficacy of cloth in cloth masks, but treats them all as perfect fit (all air going through the cloth) but at pressures for an unfitted mask; their numbers are not (IMO) realistic for a mask actually in use. "Our studies also imply that gaps (as caused by an improper fit of the mask) can result in over a 60% decrease in the filtration efficiency, implying the need for future cloth mask design studies to take into account issues of “fit” and leakage, while allowing the exhaled air to vent efficiently." My experience is that cloth masks are often poor fits (nose, chin, cheeks), esp. during exhalation.
Rather oddly, San Mateo County excludes a N95 mask with an outlet valve as being an appropriate face covering, but does allow a bandana which has a much larger unfettered outlet (I expect less than 1% goes through the fabric.)
Houston TMC: 5 months supply of N95 (1.4M), 4.5 months of surgical masks (18.5M), 8 months of gowns (12.7M), 1 month of gloves (25.7M)
Los Angeles Co.: Most supplies: 84% of hospitals have 15 day supplies. Gloves: 75% have 15 day supplies; Gowns: 65% have 15 day supplies
Santa Clara Co.: 9 (of 12) hospitals have 30 days supplies; 2 hospitals do not have 30 day supply and/or cannot move forward with procurement; 1 hospital not reporting. In the last 14 days, 3 hospitals, 26 care facilities, and 12 other health care facilities have requested PPE from the county EOC in the last 14 days. (as of July 7)
San Diego Co.: 6, up to 8 (depending on item), of 9 hospitals have 21 day supplies; 87% of hospitals have 15 day supplies.
(You can see PPE deliveries for California at https://covid19.ca.gov/data-and-tools/ )
Personally, I have bought non-NIOSH KN95 masks for my family's use. As they are not NIOSH approved, doctors generally won't use them so I'm not impacting their supply. I find they fit (cling to my face) MUCH better than any of the several cloth masks I have (which I now use on top of the KN95 to protect it from dirt, etc). I don't go out much so it hasn't been a concern to reuse them after a week. I haven't had to throw one out yet.
In a study on filtering aerosols by masks, an artificially introduced 1% gap in a N95 mask dramatically drops the efficacy of the mask. The same gap on a surgical masks reduces their filtering efficiency on aerosols down to 10-15%.
The study also measures filtering efficacy of cloth in cloth masks, but treats them all as perfect fit (all air going through the cloth) but at pressures for an unfitted mask; their numbers are not (IMO) realistic for a mask actually in use. "Our studies also imply that gaps (as caused by an improper fit of the mask) can result in over a 60% decrease in the filtration efficiency, implying the need for future cloth mask design studies to take into account issues of “fit” and leakage, while allowing the exhaled air to vent efficiently." My experience is that cloth masks are often poor fits (nose, chin, cheeks), esp. during exhalation.
Rather oddly, San Mateo County excludes a N95 mask with an outlet valve as being an appropriate face covering, but does allow a bandana which has a much larger unfettered outlet (I expect less than 1% goes through the fabric.)