CDC offers strategies to conserve PPE supplies

In response to the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reiterated its recommendation to health care facilities to use a hierarchy of controls to prevent infectious disease transmission. These include engineering controls that place barriers between health care personnel and people who may be infected; administrative controls, such as work practices and policies to reduce or prevent exposures; and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) as part of a comprehensive program in compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's respiratory protection standard. Supplies of N95 respirators, the PPE most often used to control exposures to airborne infections, can become depleted during pandemics. CDC guidelines offer a combination of approaches to conserve supplies while safeguarding personnel. On Wednesday, the CDC held a news briefing to provide additional updates related to COVID-19. (AHA News story, 2/11/20)