High-grade masks evidence weak, Covid inquiry told

There is lone “weak evidence” that high-grade look masks amended protected wellness workers than surgical ones successful the pandemic, the Covid enquiry has been told.

Prof Susan Hopkins, main aesculapian advisor astatine the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said respirator masks – known arsenic FFP3s – whitethorn person performed nary amended than bladed surgical masks successful real-life situations.

She said determination could beryllium “significant harms” from wearing tight-fitting FFP3s, including blisters and breathing difficulties.

“If the grounds was beardown that FFP3s truly protected people, and we saw a definitive simplification [in infections], they would person been recommended,” she said.

Not each scientists hold connected what has go a arguable issue.

The BBC has antecedently reported connected studies which look to amusement a important real-world payment from wearing higher-grade masks connected infirmary wards.

Throughout the archetypal 2 years of the pandemic, groups representing doctors, nurses and different wellness workers repeatedly called for urgent improvements to idiosyncratic protective instrumentality (PPE), including the wider usage of respirators.

FFP3s are tight-fitting masks with a built-in aerial filter designed to artifact retired tiny aerosol particles which tin transportation the virus.

Before they tin beryllium used, each wearer indispensable acquisition a acceptable test, to marque definite the disguise is decently sealed to the face.

For astir of the pandemic, nationalist guidance crossed the full UK said that healthcare workers should deterioration basal surgical masks alternatively than FFP3s, but successful intensive attraction oregon a tiny fig of aesculapian situations.

The determination was heavy criticised by immoderate unit with the doctors’ union, the BMA, calling it a "matter of beingness and death".

National guidance connected look masks from April 2020 was drawn up by a radical of experts from crossed the United Kingdom known arsenic the IP (Infection Protection) Cell.

Its rank included representatives from the NHS, authorities departments and wellness bodies, including Public Health England (PHE), the organisation replaced by UKHSA successful 2021 successful a shake-up ordered by then-Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

The enquiry was shown minutes from an IP Cell gathering connected 22 December 2020, conscionable aft the caller Alpha variant of Covid had been detected, which appeared to amusement disagreement astir the usage of higher-grade FFP3 masks.

The records punctuation Dr Colin Brown, present the lawman manager of objective and emerging infections astatine UKHSA but astatine the clip with PHE, arsenic saying: "Our knowing of aerosol transmission has changed. A precautionary attack to determination to FFP3 masks [in each healthcare settings] whilst we are awaiting grounds should beryllium advised."

However, the wider IP Cell decided that nary upgrading of the guidance was warranted astatine the time, and NHS trusts were told to proceed to proviso unit with modular surgical masks successful astir each cases extracurricular intensive care.

It was not until January 2022 that the proposal changed, saying that FFP3 respirators "must beryllium worn" by each unit if they are caring for patients with a microorganism specified arsenic Covid, and should beryllium offered to different unit depending connected a hazard assessment.

By that point, the World Health Organization, and different wellness bodies, had recognised Covid could beryllium dispersed successful tiny airborne particles implicit distances longer than 6.5ft (2m), thing officials said was intolerable astatine the commencement of the pandemic.

Prof Hopkins, who served arsenic PHE’s main Covid advisor earlier moving crossed to UKHSA, told the enquiry that FFP3 masks offered a precocious grade of extortion successful laboratory studies, but the real-world benefits were little clear-cut.

“Where we looked astatine it, and repeatedly looked astatine it and are inactive looking astatine it, the grounds is anemic that FFP3s protected much than fluid-resistant surgical masks,” she said.

“At the outset, successful March 2020, the risks were that we had ne'er asked radical to deterioration FFP3 masks for prolonged periods.

“We saw them get ulcers connected their faces and having challenges breathing and challenges successful being hydrated.”

Asked astir the December 2020 IP Cell minutes, which suggested PHE was pushing behind-the-scenes for the wider usage of respirator masks successful healthcare, Prof Hopkins said that was a "really challenging time" successful the pandemic with the UK astir to participate a 3rd question of the virus.

“The information that PHE was giving and airing a antithetic presumption is an illustration of [us] not being progressive successful groupthink,” she said.

The Covid enquiry is presently taking grounds astir the interaction connected the NHS and healthcare systems crossed each 4 nations of the UK.

More than 50 witnesses are expected to look successful this 3rd conception oregon "module", which runs until the extremity of November.