How decontamination could solve the COVID-19 mask shortage problem

With cold and flu season rapidly approaching, public health officials worry about a resurgence of COVID-19 and personal protective equipment shortages. Protecting frontline workers will likely include decontaminating face masks.

(Image courtesy of Brian McGowan on Unsplash)

A spike in COVID-19 cases this fall and winter could leave healthcare facilities with renewed shortages of personal protective equipment — particularly masks.

Hundreds of frontline healthcare workers have died from the virus since the pandemic struck in China in 2019, bringing the need for effective face masks into sharp relief. But despite the efforts of 3M and other companies worldwide to boost production of the most effective filtering masks — N95s — there still might not be enough.

Get the full story on our sister site, Medical Design & Outsourcing.

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