Staff at Hospitals Construct Masks from Office Supplies

Staff at Hospitals Construct Masks from Office Supplies

Hospital workers battling the coronavirus in Washington State are making face masks out of office supplies.

Existing stocks of the vital protective equipment are just “days away” from depletion, according to a report. So, staff are having to improvise.

According to Bloomberg, Infectious disease experts at Providence St. Joseph Health designed face-shield prototypes out of marine-grade vinyl, industrial tape, foam and elastic.

Administrative staff bought the supplies needed to make the face-shields at craft stores and Home Depot, the outlet reported. Volunteers then started an assembly line to manufacture them.

“We are very close to being out of face shields,” says  Becca Bartles, executive director of infection prevention at Providence St. Health. She claims there are only two days of face masks stock left.

The healthcare organization, which operates 51 hospitals, plans to buy more of the necessary raw materials from wholesale suppliers and resume assembly later this week if it can’t get more finished products, the outlet reported.

Washington has been hit hard by the deadly COVID-19 virus, with more than 1,000 cases and 55 dead, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

As the national shortage of face masks becomes severe, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says nurses can use bandanas and scarves as makeshift masks when caring for COVID-19 patients — although it’s unclear whether they would protect medical workers. The CDC says that option should be used “as a last resort” and only when the hospital nearly depletes its supply and experiences a crush of COVID-19 patients, reaching “crisis capacity.” The CDC acknowledges that its recommendations are out of step with standards of care in the United States.

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Do you know any other ways to craft a mask? Please share your tips below.