you have to fight first and foremost against the Coronavirus: Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel. In the Canton of Ticino has a employees. And also in the North-West of Switzerland there is a hospital employee with Corona is suspected. However, the safety of the staff must now be compromised: There is a lack of protective masks.

Until last week, the Federal office of public health: The whole staff has recommended that patients with suspected infection with the new Coronavirus supervised, to carry so-called FFP2 masks. These protective masks are better than hygiene masks, which are otherwise in everyday use.

Now the recommendation has been amended for the second Time within a few days. It means: FFP2-masks only for Aerosol-exposure, for example, in the case of a lung mirroring or special measures in intensive care units. The rest of the medical staff protects in case of contact with confirmed or possible Covid-19-cases, hygiene masks, regardless of whether you work in a hospital, nursing home or practice.

"A Situation like in Italy"

The recommendation comes from the national centre for infection prevention. President Andreas Widmer, head of the Department for hospital hygiene at the University hospital of Basel, explained the Changes: "We now know more about dealing with the Virus. Therefore, we have adjusted our recommendations to the medical staff." They were convinced that It need no FFP2-masks for normal treatments of Corona patients. Good masks, as they are under normal circumstances in the hospital in the use of ranged.

this policy would be used less protective masks unnecessarily. And it would then have to be more available, if they are not really necessary. Widmer is not clear: simple hygiene masks out of paper would be used, but surgical masks. The staff will be protected the same good as if it was not staying two meters from a Diseased removed.

The doctor says, however, that Would be the supply of protective masks in Switzerland, unlimited, would not have adapted to the recommendation probably. It is now also about to be an even greater spread of the Virus prepared. The development of the case numbers seemed to indicate, unfortunately, that Switzerland had a Situation as is currently the case in Italy, set. Thus, the recommendations for staff in dealing with the sanitation masks have been adjusted: Previously, it was said that one should wear two to four hours, now up to eight hours. The allow it, protection with masks on very many hospital employees to expand.

A mask per inhabitants

there is Currently a worldwide problem of Supply with protective masks. The demand exceeds the supply. For Switzerland, it is an aggravating factor: It is dependent on imports. "In Switzerland there are, to our Knowledge, no commercial, protective masks," says Peter Biedermann, managing Director of the industry Association of Swiss Medtech. A production within a few weeks of zero build up, not be realistic.

Both the Federal government and individual cantons still have stocks – exclusive for the supply of the health care system. The Federal office for civil protection moved in on Friday the balance sheet: Therefore, the bearings is consisted with hygiene masks 7.8 million. Of these, 5.5 million had been delivered to the cantons. Of the FFP2 protective masks, and those of the better type FFP3, the Federal government has almost a half a Million. About the same number are ordered abroad, of which 98’000 in Germany. Whether they can be delivered, however, is open. Germany has imposed an export stop.

Created: 06.03.2020, 20:42 PM