Mar 24, 2020 - Health

Health care workers crowdsource ideas to get more medical gear to fight coronavirus

Caitlin Owens

Health care workers wearing personal protection equipment. — Photo: Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Health care workers and scientists have been sending in hundreds of suggestions, through for how hospitals and clinicians can conserve their supplies of masks and other protective gear via the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Why it matters: Hospitals are either out of these supplies already or will be soon enough, so crowdsourcing ideas of how to stem the shortages could save lives.

A few ideas stuck out to Axios' Bob Herman:

A scientist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center explained how and why his system is using UV light to disinfect N95 masks.
Snorkel masks or other SCUBA gear could be reused and provide some protection from contaminated droplets in the air.
Dentists and vets could donate their masks and equipment, since their patient visits have either been canceled or curtailed heavily.

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Health care workers crowdsource ideas to get more medical gear to fight coronavirus

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