The president of Burnaby-based Vitacore has offered to donate thousands of N95-equivalent respiratory organs to the BCCOVID-19 Vaccination Clinic.
Mikhail Moore attended Twitter on Friday night, claiming to donate 200,000 N95 / N99 respiratory organs if the state changed its policy on personal protective equipment at vaccination sites.
Vitacore was the first Canadian manufacturer to be licensed by Health Canada to produce N95-equivalent respiratory organs.
“This was a specific offer given by the needs raised for many doctors and nurses who want to work or volunteer in these vaccination centers but are concerned about the level of protection.” Moore said in an interview on CTV News.
Currently, standard surgical masks are provided to vaccinated healthcare professionals.
Dr. Victor Leon, an infectious disease doctor and medical microbiologist, volunteered to receive the vaccine but was told he could not wear his N95 respiratory system.
“At BC, we followed the Point of Care risk assessment,” says Leung. “The (BCCenter for Disease Control) website states that healthcare professionals can provide a higher level of protection and select the appropriate PPE, including the N95 respiratory system, based on their assessment.”
BCCDC also states that N95 respirators should be worn if there is a risk of airborne transmission.
“Currently, it is very clear from the whole evidence that the main mode of infection is the inhalation of particles and aerosols that can infect the virus,” Leung said.
The grassroots group of healthcare professionals and community supporters, known as “Protectour Provide,” says they’ve heard from several doctors who have stopped volunteering because of the N95-less policy.
“Healthcare professionals want to help, but they want to stay safe,” said Dr. Amy Tan, a family palliative care doctor.
“It’s not selfish. They want to keep us safe so we can continue to work.”
At a briefing on Friday, state health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the state was not ready to change its current policies.
“N95 is used in the medical system, especially in the ICU and emergency departments in very difficult environments, when treating people infected with COVID,” Henry said.
Vaccination clinics are not at high risk of COVID-19 infection, state health officials said.
Moore says he wants to talk to the state about his offer in the next few days.
