Some places would require a surgical mask or N95 and no explanations that a P100 respirator was in fact better counted
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it turns out that it’s easy to put “all masks must look exactly like this [photograph of procedure mask]” in the three-ring binder that’s distributed to line personnel, while it costs money to actually teach them about PPE
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not exactly, the CDC order *explicitly prohibited* masks with exhale valves (and almost every time I flew airline staff explicitly called out masks with valves as unacceptable during the preflight announcement), it was entirely purposeful, not laziness or institutions being cheap
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yes, but the CDC would then go on to issue guidance that permitted valved respirators, and basically no one actually updated their policy or communicated that to staff
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The CDC having bad instincts is a problem but frankly they are pretty good at updating, if sometimes kinda slow. It's everyone else who sucks at that part!
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i don't agree that source control instead of (imo: at the expense of) individual protection was a reasonable goal
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I don't think think there were ever shortages of 3M masks and filters as long as you weren't too picky about which kind you wanted. The shortages were for non-elastomeric masks. It was hard to find an elastomeric respirator WITHOUT a valve but the normal ones were available.
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Here's a partial list of US 3M factories:
3m.com/3M/en_US/plant
They make a ton of masks/filters because they supply most industrial uses and probably even elsewhere too. Canada and US could have given 3M and others contracts to make tons of elastomeric masks + P100 filters.
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I also think if people had an elastomeric mask with an exhaust they would have disliked masks far less because you can breathe without as much exertion and don't end up with a bunch of trapped humidity. Why didn't they get everyone one of these? They just waited for vaccines.
Yeah from a self-interested perspective the cost-benefit of a valved respirator is pretty understandable and compelling.
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I have an MSA mask without a valve but it was hard to find somewhere to buy one in Canada at the time. Not going to be using it much now that almost everyone has given up on masks and accepted getting COVID multiple times. Fairly certain I haven't gotten it and don't plan on it.
At least in Ontario, they've only had doctors/nurses wearing surgical masks and cloth masks unless they're working in an area for treating COVID patients, in which case they get some likely poorly fitted N95 mask. Could have gotten them domestically produced elastomeric masks...