Under the stress and confinement of this global crisis, many of us are wondering whether and how we can help. Latin America is still in the initial stages of this pandemic, which may offer a window of opportunity to ramp up efforts. A grass-roots, local effort could make a big difference.
There is a shortage of medical masks globally due to the Coronavirus pandemic. China is the world’s largest producer, and their maximum capacity is 20 million per day. The pandemic has increased demand to over 60 million per day. That is triple what China can produce at full capacity… and they are not operating at full capacity, due to the pandemic. On a conference call with the Interamerican Dialogue this week, congresswoman Donna Shalala said that lack of PPE (personal protective equipment) is one of Latin America’s toughest challenge in fighting Covid-19.
Public health officials explain that surgical masks will not protect individuals from getting infected. However, health professionals working directly with infected patients do need them for protection. That is because of their constant and very close contact with infected patients.
This is an excellent opportunity to serve our communities. Emerson Hospital in Concord MA has posted a request on their website for hand made mask donations. It provides a link to the instructions how to make them, and the materials needed.
Contact your local hospital and ask if they are accepting mask donations. If your local hospital does not have any guidelines on it yet, perhaps this can serve as a starting point. If the hyperlink above breaks, you can find the page at: https://www.emersonhospital.org/coronavirus-covid-19-resources/covid-19-help