Using the wrong masks could be more dangerous than no mask

South Africans don’t have proper guidance on wearing the appropriate masks, putting millions at risk, say experts.

This as the country reels from reports that several companies have been criminally charged by elite police unit, the Hawks, with others still under investigation for providing substandard personal protective equipment (PPE).

The revelation that several companies may have sold substandard masks to government poses serious implications for those in the health sector, the prison system, and in the retail industry, says Dr Safoora Abdool Karim. While schools are very low risk compared to other environments, because of children’s low susceptibility to the virus, it is no less wrong that this environment may also have been exposed to sub-standard PPE among teachers and learners.

“The implications are very serious for healthcare workers, because those are the ones who are relied on to treat patients with the disease and are exposed to it on a daily basis. Those are the last people that need to be receiving substandard gear,” she says.

While the National Institute of Communicable Diseases provides guidelines on PPE in the healthcare environment, the legal framework around Covid-19 PPE is not sufficient to protect millions of South Africans, says Governance expert, Professor Alex van den Heever.

Van den Heever suggests re-examining what isn’t effective in preventing Covid-19, for a lack of scientific and state guidance on how the public can spot a bogus Covid-19 mask.

He points out that original beliefs about how masks can protect against the virus are changing in the science community. For instance, studies in the UK tested various masks and scarfs for effectiveness and found that certain scarfs were potentially even more dangerous than a regular mask, because they tended to break up droplets produced by speaking into even tinier drops, making them more likely to hang in the air for longer periods.

“Perhaps scarfs as a shield for Covid-19 should come under more scrutiny,” he suggests.

A man walks past a sign urging people to wear face masks in Melbourne as the city battles an outbreak of coronavirus. AFP/File/William WEST

Van den Heever laments the lack of research in South Africa aimed at providing guidance on PPE safety and standards, except in the case of the health sector.

“There hasn’t been enough research around the equipment we use and what properties they need to have in different contexts. In the clinical environment, we know the masks they use have certain materials that protect more than others, and the masks have to have several layers of that material. The guideline on these masks deliberately specified that the material must also have some anti-microbial elements to them. Those kinds of masks are replaced regularly, and that is the type that is used by people with a high exposure to Covid-19, and is meant to protect for instance doctors from patients.”

Van den Heever said outside of using one’s own discretion, it was nearly impossible to take all masks which were ineffective in preventing the spread of Covid-19 off the shelves without further regulating this market. Surgical masks are not typically available to the general public and there is a huge variety of masks that are more affordable but likely far less effective.

Health workers union Nehawu was infuriated by the reports of bogus masks possibly infiltrating the healthcare sector. Hundreds of nurses and doctors have died this year, believed to have caught the disease at work as a result of incorrect PPE, according to Nehawu spokesperson Khaya Xaba.

“Covidpreneurs (sic) benefited from the outbreak of the coronavirus and exploited their close proximity to those in power to land contracts that they did not have the expertise to fulfil. Unfortunately, this has led to the death of many frontline workers because of substandard PPEs,” complains Xaba.

Demonstrators hold placards during a protest action organised by the support staff at Helen Joseph Hospital to get tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus and the lack of personal protective equipment in Johannesburg, on May 25, 2020. The protest took place after more than five nurses at the Helen Joseph Hospital tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. (Photo by Michele Spatari / AFP)

“The national union is losing members because of the corruption in government departments tasked with protecting workers… The report of the AG underscores our long held view that the corruption associated with the procurement of PPEs is much deeper than what is currently reported. NEHAWU reiterates its call for the centralisation of the procurement of PPEs as the current decentralised and fragmented approach has led to corrupt tendencies finding a leeway to access funds dedicated to procuring PPE for frontline workers.”

According to Xaba, out of the over 240 healthcare workers who died of Covid-19 related causes this year, 169 were Nehawu members.

The union hopes that government will learn from these experiences and improve how it handles issues that affect service delivery. He says the union will intensify its call for those involved or facilitated the plundering of state resources during the Covid-19 pandemic to face harsh punitive measures and to be named and shamed.

Simnnikiweh@citizen.co.za

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