Save the Medical-Grade Face Masks for Hospitals. Fashion Brands Are Making Their Own Instead

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Facing a Problem

Hospitals are fighting a battle. There’s a dangerous shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as surgical masks and N95 masks which healthcare workers desperately need in the fight against coronavirus. These medical-grade masks help shield these vital workers from bacteria and viruses which can be transmitted through the air, via moisture droplets in which the novel coronavirus survives.

Unfortunately, droves of non-health workers buying these masks for themselves in bulk. This panic buying further depletes the shortage, ultimately forcing healthcare workers to re-use PPEs and even use alternatives like scarves and bandanas, neither of which the CDC recommends. This leads to a greater risk of infection and puts health workers at a major disadvantage when confronting coronavirus patients daily. If these vital workers get sick, they’re unable to work and possibly get their patients and coworkers sick.

In a recent article published on Refinery29, Shannon Sovndal, MD, an EMS medical director based in Boulder, Colorado recommend that everyone wear a face mask. Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci has also discussed the possibility of advising the general public to wear masks daily. This has the potential to make the current shortage of medical-grade face masks much worse.

Fashion brands like Raleigh Denim and Los Angeles Apparel have heard the call and have been driven to help, pivoting their factories and sewers to produce masks for purchase and for donating to hospitals. Though many of these masks are not CDC-approved, there have been studies that suggest these are better than nothing at all, with common household materials being up to 96 percent effective in filtering out harmful particulates. These non-medical grade masks can help allocate the sorely-needed masks to first responders and medical workers while also providing protection to the general public. Though plenty of home sewers have also answered the call and provided DIY instructions, if you have the means to afford to buy a mask, here are some brands making and donating masks.