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Lawrence Smith / Things
Microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles says PPE is not 100 percent effective against Covid-19.
Dr. Siouxsie Wiles, a microbiologist at the University of Auckland, says that healthcare professionals who wear personal protective equipment (PPE) may still be infected with Covid-19 and should not have a false sense of security when using such protection.
Wiles’ comments follow Friday’s announcement that three nurses at Waitakere Hospital in Auckland had hired Covid-19, and reports suggest they had been using PPE during their work. The staff had been working at West Auckland Hospital, where patients with the virus were transferred from St Margaret Hospital and the Te Atatu Nursing Home.
Waitematā District Board of Health Executive Vice President Dr. Andrew Brant said Friday that they were still investigating the situation.
“It is unclear at this stage whether contact with those patients was the source of the staff who hired Covid-19, or whether any of the cases are related. Full personal protective equipment (PPE) was made available and worn by staff at all times in this area, “he said.
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“DHB has an audit program on the appropriate use of PPE for all Covid-19 patients. An urgent review is underway to understand how and where the infection may have occurred. “
At a press conference on Friday, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the government had been sure that the personnel involved had been wearing personal protective equipment.
“But also keep in mind that, as we have said several times, unfortunately PPE is not infallible. So we have to be more vigilant.”
Wiles agreed with Robertson’s comments, but said there are a number of unanswered questions.
“When did you get it and did you interact with them doing their job using PPE, or was it in another situation they weren’t in?
“There have certainly been health workers abroad who became infected while wearing personal protective equipment.”
She said putting on and taking off PPE often involves a very rigorous process and can lead to contamination if people don’t follow the correct procedures.
“When you have people who are fatigued and have been working long shifts, it can happen,” said Wiles.
“If that is what has happened here, it is difficult to say. But what we do know is that PPE is not 100 percent safe as any form of protection. Therefore, it is very important that people do not feel false feeling of security. “
Wiles said testing nurses and Covid-19 patients to determine if they have the same Covid-19 virus strain is one way to establish the source.
The Ministry of Health published new guidelines on its website on Friday regarding the use of PPE for hospital staff caring for patients with Covid-19.
According to the guidelines, health workers dealing with Covid-19 patients are expected to wear a long-sleeved, fluid-resistant gown; a surgical mask for all contact with the patient; eye protection, or a face shield; an N95 mask for aerosol generating procedures; non-sterile gloves and plastic apron for patient-free contact care. They are also required to maintain hand hygiene with soap and water, or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
