Occupational Health
Analysis: Face Masks for the Public During the Covid-19 Crisis
10 Apr, 2020 | 02:58h | UTCFace masks for the public during the covid-19 crisis – The BMJ
Commentary: Time to encourage people to wear face masks as a precaution, say experts – The BMJ
Related: Covid-19: What is the evidence for cloth masks? – The BMJ AND Covid-19: Should cloth masks be used by healthcare workers as a last resort? – The BMJ
“- The precautionary principle states we should sometimes act without definitive evidence, just in case
– Whether masks will reduce transmission of covid-19 in the general public is contested
– Even limited protection could prevent some transmission of covid-19 and save lives
– Because covid-19 is such a serious threat, wearing masks in public should be advised”
See also: CDC Now Recommends Wearing Cloth Face Coverings in Public Settings (statement and commentaries)
Podcast: Reusing Face Masks and N95 Respirators
10 Apr, 2020 | 02:54h | UTCCoronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Reusing Face Masks and N95 Respirators – JAMA
Related Report: N95 mask can be decontaminated without decreasing filtration efficiency – Stanford Medicine
Related Website: N95DECON: A scientific consortium for data-driven study of N95 filtering facepiece respirator decontamination AND Commentary: New website explains how hospitals can decontaminate and reuse scarce N95 masks to fight COVID-19 – Stanford News
Related Guidance: N95 Re-Use Instructions – SAGES
WHO Advice on the Use of Masks in the Context of COVID-19
8 Apr, 2020 | 01:33h | UTCAdvice on the use of masks in the context of COVID-19 – World Health Organization
Commentary: Expert reaction to new WHO advice on use of facemasks in the context of COVID-19 – Science Media Centre
Study: Effectiveness of Surgical and Cotton Masks in Blocking SARS–CoV-2
7 Apr, 2020 | 04:24h | UTCCommentary: Neither surgical nor cotton masks effectively filter SARS COV-2 – American College of Physicians
Meta-Analysis: Medical Masks vs. N95 Respirators for Preventing COVID‐19 in Health Care Workers
7 Apr, 2020 | 04:22h | UTCCommentary: Surgical masks likely good for most COVID-19 treatment – McMaster University
Position Statement: Occupational Health Hazards of the Catheterization Laboratory
7 Apr, 2020 | 04:10h | UTC
NICE Publishes new COVID-19 Guidelines
6 Apr, 2020 | 01:57h | UTC- News Release: NICE publishes new COVID-19 guidelines on severe asthma, pneumonia, rheumatological disorders and symptom management – National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
- COVID-19 rapid guideline: severe asthma
- COVID-19 rapid guideline: managing suspected or confirmed pneumonia in adults in the community
- COVID-19 rapid guideline: rheumatological autoimmune, inflammatory and metabolic bone disorders
- COVID-19 rapid guideline: managing symptoms (including at the end of life) in the community
See other recent NICE Guidelines on COVID-19: COVID-19 rapid guideline: critical care in adults AND COVID-19 rapid guideline: haematopoietic stem cell transplantation AND COVID-19 rapid guideline: dialysis service delivery AND COVID-19 rapid guideline: delivery of radiotherapy AND COVID-19 rapid guideline: delivery of systemic anticancer treatments
Study: Wearing Surgical Masks in Public Could Help Slow Spreading of COVID-19
6 Apr, 2020 | 01:55h | UTCRespiratory virus shedding in exhaled breath and efficacy of face masks – Nature
Commentaries: Why wear face masks in public? Here’s what the research shows – The Conversation AND The new coronavirus might spread when people talk, but scientists say masks can help – The Telegraph AND Wearing surgical masks in public could help slow COVID-19 pandemic’s advance – University of Maryland
Related: Stability of SARS-CoV-2 in different environmental conditions – National Geographic
CDC Now Recommends Wearing Cloth Face Coverings in Public Settings
6 Apr, 2020 | 01:53h | UTCCommentaries: The CDC Now Recommends Americans Wear Face Masks – Wired AND Everyone should wear face ‘masks’ in public, CDC now recommends – Live Science AND CDC Now Recommends Americans Consider Wearing Cloth Face Coverings In Public – NPR AND The CDC now recommends everyone use cloth masks in public – Vox AND The CDC is recommending that people wear face coverings or cloth masks if they go out in public – Business Insider
“CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.”
CDC Guideline: Use of Cloth Face Coverings to Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19
6 Apr, 2020 | 01:51h | UTCCommentary: What’s the Best Material for a Mask? – The New York Times
Opinion: Doctors Need Room to Make the Wrenching Decisions They Face
6 Apr, 2020 | 01:27h | UTCDoctors Need Room to Make the Wrenching Decisions They Face – The New York Times
“New York is granting health care providers civil and criminal immunity during the coronavirus emergency. So should other states.”
The Covid-19 Crisis too Few are Talking About: Health Care Workers’ Mental Health
6 Apr, 2020 | 01:25h | UTCThe Covid-19 crisis too few are talking about: health care workers’ mental health – STAT
Related: Impact on mental health and perceptions of psychological care among medical and nursing staff in Wuhan during the 2019 novel coronavirus disease outbreak: A cross-sectional study – Brain, Behavior, and Immunity AND Mental Health Needs of Health Care Workers Providing Frontline COVID-19 Care – JAMA Health Forum AND Managing mental health challenges faced by healthcare workers during covid-19 pandemic – The BMJ AND Factors Associated With Mental Health Outcomes Among Health Care Workers Exposed to Coronavirus Disease 2019 – JAMA Network Open
How Hospitals Can Protect Frontline Healthcare Workers From COVID-19
3 Apr, 2020 | 04:04h | UTCHow Hospitals Can Protect Frontline Healthcare Workers From COVID-19 – Medium
Related Commentary on Twitter
It's not just the missing masks in hospitals. Here's some lessons learned from countries that suffered the 1st wave of #COVID19 to protect the #healthcare workforcehttps://t.co/u6rSX8dlEw@realSharonZhou @RoseLikeTheFlwr @ronlivs @AndrewYNg pic.twitter.com/173iJYtWEi
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) April 2, 2020
UK Guidance on Infection Prevention and Control for COVID-19
3 Apr, 2020 | 04:11h | UTCCOVID-19: infection prevention and control – Public Health England
More on the Use of Face Masks by the Public
3 Apr, 2020 | 03:58h | UTC- Opinion: Wearing Masks Must Be a National Policy – The New York Times
- Coronavirus: Expert panel to assess face mask use by public – BBC
- Expert comment clarifying situation with face masks and WHO – Science Media Centre
- Should Everyone Wear A Mask In Public? Maybe—But It’s Complicated – Forbes
- White House expected to recommend Americans wear cloth masks to prevent coronavirus spread – STAT
CDC Guidance: Decontamination and Reuse of Filtering Facepiece Respirators
2 Apr, 2020 | 04:24h | UTC
Another Study Shows Presymptomatic Transmission of SARS-CoV-2
2 Apr, 2020 | 04:26h | UTCCommentaries: Coronavirus can spread one to three days before symptoms appear: CDC study – Reuters AND CDC Director warns 25 percent of COVID-19 cases may present no symptoms – New Atlas AND SARS-CoV-2 Readily Shed Early in Infection, Transmissible Before Symptoms Emerge – NEJM Journal Watch
Related: Yes, You Can Spread Coronavirus Even If You Don’t Have Symptoms – Self AND Infected but Feeling Fine: The Unwitting Coronavirus Spreaders – The New York Times AND COVID-19: Undocumented Infections are the Infection Source for 79% of Documented Cases
Related Commentary on Twitter
New @CDCMMWR report on #COVID19 in Singapore shows that some clusters of cases likely resulted from people without symptoms spreading illness. Social distancing and avoiding crowds are key to slowing the spread of COVID-19. https://t.co/kRysZ9lxzO pic.twitter.com/4UJc0KCDPM
— CDC (@CDCgov) April 1, 2020
Universal Masking in Hospitals in the Covid-19 Era
2 Apr, 2020 | 04:05h | UTCUniversal Masking in Hospitals in the Covid-19 Era – New England Journal of Medicine
Use of Face Masks by the Population: The Debate Continues
2 Apr, 2020 | 04:04h | UTC- Everyone Thinks They’re Right About Masks – The Atlantic
- COMMENTARY: Masks-for-all for COVID-19 not based on sound data – CIDRAP
- You Still Probably Don’t Need A Mask For COVID-19 – Medium
- Everything you need to know about making your own face mask – Vox
- All Israelis must wear face-masks in public as virus precaution: Netanyahu – Reuters
- C.D.C. Weighs Advising Everyone to Wear a Mask – The New York Times
More Opinions on the Use of Facemasks by the Population
1 Apr, 2020 | 05:53h | UTCPerspectives: CDC considering recommending general public wear face coverings in public – The Washington Post AND Wear a face mask if you feel it’s necessary, but know it won’t necessarily help – The Globe and Mail AND It’s Time to Face Facts, America: Masks Work – Wired AND Should We All Be Wearing Masks In Public? Health Experts Revisit The Question – NPR AND Should I Make My Own Mask? – The New York Times
N95 Re-Use Instructions
30 Mar, 2020 | 02:06h | UTCN95 Re-Use Instructions – SAGES
Related: Conserving Supply of Personal Protective Equipment—A Call for Ideas – JAMA AND N95 mask can be decontaminated without decreasing filtration efficiency – Stanford Medicine
COVID-19: Controversies on the Use of Face Masks
30 Mar, 2020 | 02:10h | UTC- Would everyone wearing face masks help us slow the pandemic? – Science
- Not wearing masks to protect against coronavirus is a ‘big mistake,’ top Chinese scientist says – Science
- More Americans Should Probably Wear Masks for Protection – The New York Times
- Experts say face masks can help slow COVID-19, despite previous claims – New York Post
- Coronavirus: Chinese scientist advises people in Europe, US to wear face masks in public – South China Morning Post
Related Guidance: WHO Recommendations on when and how to use masks – World Health Organization AND Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of Facemasks – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Analysis: Managing Mental Health Challenges Faced by Healthcare Workers During Covid-19 Pandemic
27 Mar, 2020 | 03:55h | UTCManaging mental health challenges faced by healthcare workers during covid-19 pandemic – The BMJ
Related Study: Factors Associated With Mental Health Outcomes Among Health Care Workers Exposed to Coronavirus Disease 2019 – JAMA Network Open AND Commentary: Survey Finds COVID-19 Takes Heavy Psychological Toll on Health Care Workers – Psychiatric News Alert
Rapid Review: Standard Face Masks vs. Respirator Masks to Prevent COVID-19 in Primary Care Staff
27 Mar, 2020 | 03:45h | UTC
Practical Advice: PPE Pearls
26 Mar, 2020 | 01:49h | UTCPersonal Protective Equipment (PPE) Pearls – COVID-19 – emDocs