B.C. nurses worry N95 masks supply dwindling due to COVID-19 spike in U.S.

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — The BC Nurses’ Union says stocks of N95 masks are dwindling in this province with the supply being stretched due to a spike in COVID-19 cases in the U.S.

N95 masks are made by American company 3M and the union’s president says not enough of them are coming into B.C.

“We continue to hear from the ministry of health very small numbers of those masks coming into our province,” says Christine Sorensen.

“I certainly am pleased with the efforts that are being made to secure PPE for the province, and we certainly have seen improved stocks around gloves, gowns, surgical and procedural masks but we continue to be very concerned that there are not enough of the N95 masks. They’re obviously in significantly high demand in the United States right now with their outbreaks.”

Sorensen says there are alternatives to the N95, but she doesn’t think the province has enough of those either.

“I am concerned that these alternate masks are not ready for distribution to nurses in this province and other healthcare providers, and that they will continue to have to rely on a diminishing stock of N95 masks that are produced in the United States.”

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She notes that “fit testing” for N95 masks or their alternatives appears to be lagging.

“Unfortunately, not every nurse in this province has been fit tested,” she says, noting she herself has not undergone this process.

“They need to make sure that they’re using the correct mask at all times and that does take time, does require a mask for every fit test. So you certainly have to have supply to be able to do that, and in this province, the levels of nurses who have been fit tested even for the current N95 masks that we have are not at 100 per cent.”

In order to be effective, the mask must fit the wearer’s face so a “significant seal” is possible. Things like weight loss, weight gain, and growing or shaving facial hair can change the size a nurse requires. The testing itself requires an appointment, an assessment by another professional, and a supply of masks that can be discarded if they don’t fit.

“Unfortunately a nurse can’t just grab a small mask or a medium mask. If you’re a nurse and you need to wear a medium size mask and there’s none available for you to quickly grab to go in and provide care for the patient, you cannot use the other size of mask. It places you at risk,” Sorensen explains.

Moreover, once the correct size has been determined nurses aren’t provided with a bulk supply, according to Sorensen.

“Nurses are provided a mask at the beginning of their shift,” she says, adding they are stored in a central location that can’t be accessed by all staff at any given facility.

So, if a mask gets soiled or damaged, getting a replacement can take time which can delay patient care.