THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, AND RESPIRATOR: A
NARRATIVE REVIEW
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has touched almost
every continent. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is the final line
of protection of healthcare workers (HCW). There is variation as well as
controversy of infection control recommendation with regards to the use
of PPE for HCW between institutions. The aim of this narrative review is
to of examine and summarise the available evidence to guide
recommendation for the safety of HCW. A literature search was conducted
on the PubMed, MedLine, and Embase databases with the keywords
“personal protective equipment”, “COVID 19”, “n95”, “health care
worker”, and “mortality”. SARS-nCoV-2 is highly contagious. 3.5-20%
of HCW has been reported to be infected. The mortality ranges from
0.53-1.94%. PPE is part of the measure within a package of prevention
and control of pandemic, rather than a replacement of. Respirators are
more effective than masks in preventing aerosol transmission to HCWs.
Extended use may be considered if guidelines are adhered. PAPRs if
available should be used in high risk procedures. Transmission of
viruses is multimodal, and in the setting of a novel pathogen with high
case fatality with no proven effective interventions, PPE that affords
the best protection should be available to HCWs.