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THE HSE IS urging hospitals to preserve stocks of personal protective equipment (PPE) but says there is enough of a supply available until more arrives next week.
Speaking at a briefing this evening in which the Department of Health confirmed 10 further deaths from Covid-19, Chief Clinical Officer at the HSE Dr Colm Henry said that stocks are running low on some items, but that others are in good supply.
“Contrary to what people may think, we’re running low on certain elements of PPE, goggles in particular and there’s an international shortage of certain elements, such as goggles. So there are other elements, FFP2 masks, respiratory masks we’ve got a good we got a good stock on,” he said.
The shortage of PPE for healthcare workers was raised in the Dáil today and a number of campaigns are underway calling for donations of equipment to Irish hospitals.
A consignment of equipment such as masks, gowns and goggles is due to arrive from China on Sunday and Henry says the HSE is confident about its stocks until that is distributed.
He added that the advice to hospitals in general is to only use such equipment when it is required and to substitute different types of PPE if needed.
“What we’ve advised hospitals from two weeks ago, is using the PPE in appropriate clinical circumstances and to preserve what stocks they have, and also by using substitutions in certain cases, for example where a surgical mask was short, to use an FFP2 mask instead,” he said.
“So that advice has gone out and we’ve also advised on contingency plans should stocks run out, but based on the information that we have now, we’ve believe we’ve enough to bridge us through to delivery from China next week.”
Doctor’s working in St James’s Hospital in Dublin made an appeal this week to various industries for donations of PPE.
The video was shared on Twitter by the hospital’s Chief Respiratory Physiologist, Peter Coss, who directed it at beauticians, hair dressers, construction workers and the people working in pharmaceuticals.
Henry said this evening that any such donations “are welcome”.
“Of course, any stocks are welcome but we at this point in time, even though we’re living in days supply for some elements of PPE, we’re still managing to deliver the stock bar those eye goggles I mentioned, we’re still delivering the stock up that are keeping the hospitals and communities ticking over.”
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I thought this virus was supposed to make us less dependent on China, not more
@Quiet Goer: Some would say the Chinese had it.all planned out
@Quiet Goer: that was the plan! China had other plans. Their plan is working.
@Quiet Goer: I wish commentators would stop with the smart alec postings. They add nothing.
Would you turn the Aer Lingus planes back.
This should not be a platform for banter or revisiting the election results and the we have a mandate for change narrative.
It’s a time for pulling together. Simple as that.
@Jonathan Perrott: See my response posting. What does this add to anything as the nation battles against the pandemic.
@Jonathan Perrott: I think so. Seriously. Is it a coincidence that we are shipping all these equipment and PPE from the same place where the virus started?
@Optimus Prime: Look at the size of Ireland and our workforce compared with the size of China and their population. Is it that difficult for ya to figure it out?
Naive.
@Seriousnojoke: not just Ireland. Every nation is shipping these items from China.
@David Glynn: except the establishment parties refuse to pull together and like school bullies band together to exclude others and hold their grip to power.
@Optimus Prime: It’s not a coincidence, they were hit by the virus so mass produced PPE and they’re also THE country for cheap mass production of pretty much anything.
If you’re implying it was for financial gain, China has been knocked out by this. Their economy was on its knees when production halted, and they’ll be recovering for a while. Their image also took a huge hit. Nothing like a motivation for an ‘inside job’ if that’s your implication…
@Optimus Prime: we are also manufacturing and selling these to China. We may even be getting our own stuff back!
@David Glynn:
“I wish commentators would stop with the smart alec postings. They add nothing.”
Indeed.
Same goes for obsessive anti-SF posts.
Put out an appeal to the people who panic bought, and stockpiled any of the required ppe equipment, to bring some of it to their nearest hospital.
@Logan Shepherd: I’d say there’s a fat chance that anyone who had the mindset of a PPE hoarder would bring them in, but worth a shot I suppose. That said, you can’t guarantee the infection free status of anything that would be turned in so they’d have to be treated as if they were ‘used’ – which gets us no closer to our goal because there’s plenty of used PPE already, the issue is that it’s difficult to reuse safely.
The problem was all the PPE hoarding that went on in the first place, fixing that now isn’t as straightforward I’m afraid.
@Logan Shepherd: I have 6 masks. Not stock buying. Available to anyone who needs them.
@ihcalaM: As in their request to salons etc. they would have to be unopened. Look, it’s just a thought. May be no need for it, but it also may save frontline staff from having to use any high spec ppe unnecessarily.
@Paul Somers: Great attitude Paul. You’re one of the good ones.
@Logan Shepherd: Yeah as I say I don’t think it’s a bad idea, just pointing out that a lot of the hoarded stuff will be useless to the system if it isn’t in original packaging etc. I work in a pharmacy and the majority of the face masks sales we had were from 100packs we got in bulk, which we limited to a certain amount per customer – these didn’t come individually packaged and are thus useless.
The call for salons and other businesses is probably gonna be more fruitful as they may have bought in bulk, but any individuals with unopened PPE would really want to think about donating.
@ihcalaM: I hear you.
“Ticking over”, sounds like “be grand lads”
Sometimes the bigger story is the 1 you don’t hear about
If only. Definite shortage in hospitals, extremely limited supply of even the basics.
@Emma Adams: governments have been warned for years this was possible/probable but the advice was ignored that’s why may we should look at who has been in the driving seat and ask questions but first let’s save or ppl first then let’s have that’s throw stones
@Paul Dunne: absolutely, however that is not assisting us as frontline staff with absent PPE. Very worrying.
We should be demanding reparations from China, for all the death and financial suffering that their cover up of the outbreak has caused.
@Pat Coyne:
OK.
So if we do, the Chinese (rightly) tell us to f-off when we look for supplies.
Great idea!
Spain and Czech Rep. complaining a large % of the Chinese equipment is faulty. False results on tests (not sensitive enough), masks that don’t work. It’s because it’s being made by companies not used to making such equipment. So not blaming China myself for this, but not looking good for the gear they send us.
@Burn_the_Witch: they r working so hard to help people like us, so don’t make this s**t up
@Burn_the_Witch:
So…we should refuse Chinese supplies?
We have run out of options and that isn’t China’s fault….look much closer to home.
According to ‘Lessons from Wuhan’ Personal Protective Equipment is the key to delaying the spread of this virus. Find some now!
@Bernie McArdle: Or don’t – healthcare workers need it more! That’s the point we’re trying to get across here… when supplies eventually reach the demand, we can talk about extending mask use but it’s really not a good idea for the general public to use at the minute, unclear benefit and way too much of a strain on PPE in a country.
@Bernie McArdle:
We should not take instruction from a country Who can’t even tell the truth on the amount of people who were infected.
The diamond princess showed how quickly it spread.
Why not keep the stuff we make in Ireland in Ireland and not send it to China!
With the failing tests supplied by china to both Italy and Spain this equipment should be closely inspected to ensure it is at the required standard to protect our front line people who are risking it all for us.
Why any joe soap walks around with a mask on in public despite being told it is effectivly ineffective unless your coughing and spluttering defeats me
@Sinead Merrigan: because they could have underlineing medical conditions that’s why I wear mine
Let’s hope the new supply chain will meet the demand.
So – no offense. But we are supposed to believe this shipment is not entirely contminated????
We need to start producing our own stuff. Get folk off the dole in the bargain.
Eat this bat pal!… We’re about to make a fortune!
From google news.
The majority of rapid test coronavirus test kits supplied by China to Spain and the Czech Republic are faulty, local news outlets reported.
Up to 80 percent of the 150,000 portable, quick coronavirus test kits China delivered to the Czech Republic earlier this month were faulty,
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