Health boffin says no need for compulsory masks
Queensland’s top health official has told his frontline workers there is no need to make wearing masks mandatory in hospitals. It comes amid claims medical staff are being yelled at when requesting masks at work and concern from nurses over a lack of protective gear.
QLD News
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Queensland’s top health official has told his frontline workers there is no need to make wearing masks mandatory in hospitals despite growing concern about the spread of COVID-19 in the community.
It comes amid claims medical staff have been yelled at when requesting masks at work.
Queensland Health director general Dr John Wakefield has told staff that there is currently no recommendation to wear face masks in the general community or when working in a health service.
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Dr Wakefield said the only exception would be when staff were working with people with COVID-19 symptoms, suspected and known COVID cases and when masks were normally required.
The directive issued in a written communication to Queensland Health staff last week comes as Victoria goes into a hard lockdown and the government there mandates the wearing of masks in public.
The Nurses Professional Association of Queensland claims masks and other personal protection equipment (PPE) is being rationed because the government does not have enough on hand. This has been denied by the State Government.
There is growing concern that health workers are inadequately protected against coronavirus with more than 1100 healthcare workers in Victoria now infected.
Dr Wakefield conceded there was growing concern among health workers and in the general community about the events in Victoria.
“Are we prepared in Queensland for a situation like Victoria?” said Dr Wakefield.
“Do we have enough PPE? Do we need to wear masks like in Victoria? These are some of the questions being asked.”
He said Queensland Health had strengthened its plans to better secure PPE in the face of international demand.
Nurses Professional Association of Queensland president Phill Tsingos said medical staff were being yelled at for asking for masks from management.
“They are trained professionals so they should make the call,” he said.
“It is a matter of life or death. Even if people survive this virus they can be left with crippling lung disease for the rest of their life.”
Mr Tsingos said there was a shortage of masks despite the government having months to prepare for a second wave of coronavirus.
“I spoke to one supplier last week who told me he could have given the government 50 million masks back in March,” he said.
“The government stuffed around and now the cost has gone up.”
A Health Department spokesperson said the risk of contracting COVID-19 in hospital was extremely low.
“Face masks are helpful in containing droplets when people cough or sneeze, reducing the likelihood of spreading the virus,” the spokesperson said. “They are more effective at reducing the risk of people infecting others, rather than protecting people from viruses. We have ample PPE for our public health clinicians.”
