Photos Show How Shortages Are Forcing Doctors And Nurses To Improvise Coronavirus PPE

Doctors, nurses, and medical staff working on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic are being forced to improvise due to a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE).

To protect themselves against the infectious virus, some medical staff are having to get creative with everyday items, including snorkel masks and raincoats.

PPE shortages have been a significant problem in several countries, including the US, where the largest nurses union was seen staging a protest for more adequate protective equipment in front of the White House on Tuesday.

Scroll down to see to the lengths to which some doctors and nurses are going to protect themselves against the coronavirus without proper PPE.

A lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has been a serious problem in lots of countries fighting the coronavirus.



With jobs that bring them into close contact with the coronavirus and an ongoing shortage of PPE, healthcare workers have a higher risk of infection causing an increasing number to die from the disease.

On Tuesday, April 23, members of National Nurses United — the largest nursing union in the US — staged a protest outside the White House to push for more PPE.

PPE supplies have also been salient issues in the UK

Nurses in New York have filed lawsuits that allege "grossly inadequate and negligent protections" and "unsafe working conditions."

Some medics have adapted as best they can, for instance including wearing trash bags over their scrubs for an additional layer of safety.



Some doctors in the UK are also covering the sides and backs of their heads with trash bags, according to the BBC.

Dr. Roberts told the BBC: "It's about being pragmatic. The nurses on ITU (Intensive Treatment Unit) need it now. They are doing procedures which risk aerosol spread of the virus. But they've been told to wear normal theatre hats, which have holes in them and don't provide any protection."

"It's wrong. And that's why we're having to put bin bags and aprons on our heads," she added.

But these measures don't always work. Several nurses in the UK who were forced to wear trash bags during their shifts tested positive for the virus, while one nurse in New York died.



Kious Kelly was working as an assistant nursing manager at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, which was using trash bags for protective equipment. He died from COVID-19 on March 24, at the age of 48.

In India, the shortage of protective equipment is forcing doctors to turn instead to motorbike helmets and thin plastic raincoats, which can easily rip during a shift.



More than a dozen doctors told Reuters they were concerned about becoming sick without proper gear.

On Tuesday, drivers of around 4,7000 ambulances went on strike in India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, calling for proper safety gear and health insurance.

One doctor told Reuters: "I put on a [motorbike] helmet. It has a visor in front so it covers my face, adding another layer over the surgical mask."

"Everybody is scared," he added. "Nobody wants to work without protection."

Gowns are not the only piece of equipment there is a shortage of. A lack of medical goggles is forcing some doctors to turn to swim goggles instead.



In the UK, some doctors are buying boxes of ski goggles as an alternative.



Healthcare workers in the UK are having to buy their own protective gear to gear up before going to work, according to the Guardian.

Samantha Batt-Rawden, the president of Doctors Association UK, told the paper: "Many doctors have told us they have also had to buy their own respirator masks from hardware stores, while others have reached out to schools and laboratories for protective glasses."

According to Batt-Rawden, some healthcare workers are even approaching 3D printing companies to have batches of visors made.

The most sought-after piece of equipment is an FFP3 mask, which has the highest safety levels for medical staff. But since these are in short supply globally, some doctors are acquiring gas masks instead.



Another popular regular item which is being employed for protection is the full-face snorkel mask, which was first used by healthcare workers in Italy who turned them into respirator masks.



A consultant anesthetist working in the UK reported bought more than 50 snorkels to turn into respirator masks, according to the Guardian.

"The snorkel masks have been adapted for use as non-invasive ventilators by Italian anesthetists. They published their design including 3D-printed adapters to connect oxygen tubing to the snorkel breathing tube," he said.

But the community is also helping out. For instance, a licensed nurse practitioner in Las Vegas is designing makeshift face shields. They are made from a piece of polyethylene foam cut from a pool noodle, a sheet of transparency film, and a rubber band.



Dr Tan started by making his custom-made face shields, which he calls the "iCareFaceShields", for his friends and family working as doctors two weeks ago. Since then, he donated more than 350 of them to different hospitals in Las Vegas.

As different governments around the world struggle to get new batches of PPE shipped in, local and global communities are working together to help doctors and nurses as much as they can.

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