As the pandemic continues, personal protective equipment shortages persist and and more nurses have been forced to reuse single-use N95 masks, according to a new COVID-19 survey from the American Nurses Association.
The survey of 20,000 nurses — conducted July 24 to Aug. 14 — found:
1. Forty-two percent of respondents are still experiencing PPE shortages.
2. Most respondents (68 percent) report they are required to reuse N95 masks, up 6 percent from May.
3. More than half of respondents (58 percent) report they are reusing single-use N95 masks for at least five days. That compared to 43 percent in May.
4. Sixty-two percent of respondents said they feel unsafe reusing N95 masks.
5. Fifty-five percent of respondents said they feel unsafe using decontaminated masks.
Read more about the survey here.
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