N95 mask

N95 mask is to protect the wearer from inspiring small droplet containing pathogen or airborne one. The ordinary surgical masks are not able to do that. Even though this protection effect is sometimes questioned, this mask still remains one of the main stays for medical staff dealing with outbreak of viral infections.

My wife told me there were several dozens of the mask with her. I remembered in the outbreak of SARS in 2003, I had purchased a lot of the masks and had given some of them to her to use at her practice. Fortunately, she and the staff had no chance to use it and kept them in storage.

SARS was more virulent than COVID outbreaking now. About twenty % of the victims were thought to be medical staff. The authority has announced the people to consult to the local medical facilities when they had any complaints reminding them of SARS. It was a terrible announcement since we were not equipped against SARS at all. Purchasing boxes of those N95 masks was one of the coping strategies for a small medical facility like mine those days. This mask has reminded me of the situation driving us into a corner those days.

Fortunately, this SARS COV2 is not so virulent  for healthy adults as SARS virus those days as I said above, even though the case mortality rate is up to 20% for elderly people. But in case a few medical staff are infected with it and have to leave their office for a couple of weeks, small medical facilities may have much difficulty to carry it on. Actually, I don't think this kind of mask is very potent to prevent from infection. It might be, however, of some help, if any, to the staff working at such facilities. I would look for anyone who needs it for medical service and donate them to such a facility. 

Recent discussion at the Upper House in our country, MHLW has disclosed they had not investigated mortal cases with pneumonia at elderly care facilities since the outbreak of COVID occurred. Those cases may include death due to COVID. Our government seems to be negative to investigate and publish the basic data of this disease in outbreak. We must have another newly emerging infection in the future. To get ready for such an infection, basic epidemiological data should be highly required. Our government is quite unwilling to record what is going on now. It is not an attitude of the government of a civilized country.