Masks do not affect gas exchange REPUBLISHED: They might sometimes feel ‘suffocating’, but recent research found masks do not affect oxygen or carbon dioxide levels.
Many N95 masks do not properly fit women or people of Asian descent UPDATED: A literature review has found a lack of fit-testing may be placing some healthcare professionals at higher levels of COVID risk.
Can face masks reduce COVID severity and improve herd immunity? An article in the New England Journal of Medicine hypothesises universal mask-wearing can do both.
Questions raised over respirators used in Australian hospitals Victorian and NSW public hospitals are using a batch of respirators that are at risk of tearing and may not meet Australian manufacturing standards.
PPE debate continues as expert accuses authorities of following ‘false narratives’ One of Australia’s foremost infectious disease physicians says healthcare workers are being put at undue risk of coronavirus infection by current PPE guidelines.
GPs given advice on mental health, PPE and vulnerable patients Senior health department officials have answered GPs’ pressing questions about Australia’s COVID-19 response.
Is there a long-term future for masks in Australia? It has been said that social distancing will be part of our lives for the duration of the pandemic. Could that also be true of face coverings?
Masks with valves ‘won’t properly protect others’ Victoria’s Chief Health Officer has issued clear advice that masks with valves will not help to limit the spread of coronavirus.
Face masks: What GPs and patients need to know UPDATED: Record case numbers in NSW, lockdown extension in Victoria, dozens of cases in the ACT, snap lockdown in the NT: Australia tightens restrictions as much of the country sits on a COVID knife edge.
Infection fears for GPs in COVID-19 hotspots Hundreds of hospital staff are currently in quarantine due to potential exposure to coronavirus, and GPs in hotspot areas are still ‘scrounging’ to source their own supply of PPE.