This blog was originally posted in 2020. Some information may be out of date. For the latest updates on vaccines, testing, screening, visitor policy and post-COVID support, visit EEHealth.org/coronavirus.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, we’re all becoming more familiar with terms like Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and N95 masks.

But who needs PPE, why do they need it and when?

Personal Protective Equipment is typically used in healthcare and lab settings, worn by workers to block infection by viruses and bacteria from bodily fluids.

PPE is regulated by the FDA to ensure it is resistant to rips/tears and effectively blocks fluids.

Healthcare workers directly caring for people with COVID-19 must wear full PPE, which includes gowns/clothing, gloves, face shields or goggles, surgical masks and/or respirator masks.

Gowns/clothing

Protective clothing includes surgical gowns. They’re designed to cover the whole body and to be worn once, then thrown out.

Masks

Surgical masks/respirator masks should be worn by patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19 during treatment, and healthcare workers while they’re treating patients with respiratory symptoms.

N95 respirators and surgical masks protect the people wearing them from airborne particles and liquids. N95 respirators are different than surgical masks, however, and offer a higher level of protection. They fit tightly around the nose and mouth and filter out 95 percent of large and small airborne particles.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends wearing face coverings in public.

The CDC does not recommend face coverings on children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance. 

Goggles/face shields

Protecting the healthcare worker’s mucous membranes, including the eyes, nose and mouth (the T-zone), is important. Goggles provide eye protection, as infected patients could cough or sneeze droplets into the air. A face shield is a protective device that fully covers the T-zone and offers added protection to the surgical mask the healthcare worker is wearing.

Gloves

Medical gloves are disposable as well as leak/rip/tear-resistant. Before they put on the gloves, and when they take them off, healthcare workers wash their hands.

Healthcare workers wear PPE when they’re caring for contagious patients. Because of the growing number of people hospitalized with coronavirus, PPE is in high demand.

Edward-Elmhurst Health plans to use medical grade and approved PPE as the first line for our front lines. However, we are accepting all commercially and homemade PPE as emergency back-up supplies. In the event we do not need to use those supplies we will work with other organizations to put them to use to the best of our ability. Items most needed include:

• N95 masks
• Procedural/surgical masks
• Hand sanitizer
• Disinfectant wipes
• Nitrile gloves
• Isolation gowns
• Goggles
• Thermometers

Please email donations@eehealth.org if you have supplies to donate. 

Edward-Elmhurst Health offers screening options for COVID-19. Eleanor, your personal virtual assistant, can help you check your symptoms 24/7 and advise you on what to do next. We also offer Video Visits and E-Visits for COVID-19 symptoms.

For COVID-19 updates, please check EEHealth.org/coronavirus.

The information in this article may change at any time due to the changing landscape of this pandemic. Read the latest on COVID-19.