Upgrading the face masks issued to frontline health workers can reduce occupational Covid-19 infection by up to 100%, a study has shown.
The University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust saw a dramatic reduction in the number of workers on Covid wards infected with the coronavirus after it changed its respiratory protective equipment from fluid-resistant surgical masks to FFP3 respirators in December 2020.
The upgraded face masks provided a tight seal around the nose and mouth, preventing airborne infection.
The researchers found that hospital-acquired infection rates for those working on Covid-19 wards dropped by up to 100% after the FFP3 masks were provided.
The risk of direct infection from working on a Covid ward before the change in respiratory protective equipment was 47 times higher than the risk of community-based exposure, the study found.
Dr Chris Illingworth from the MRC Biostatistics Unit at the University of Cambridge said: “Once FFP3 respirators were introduced, the number of cases attributed to exposure on Covid wards dropped dramatically – in fact, our model suggests that FFP3 respirators may have cut ward-based infection to zero.”
The study’s authors suggested that more research was needed to confirm their findings, but recommended the guidelines for respiratory protective equipment should be revised until more definitive information is available.
Dr Michael Weekes, from the Department of Medicine at the University of Cambridge, said: “Upgrading the equipment so that FFP3 masks are offered to all healthcare workers caring for patients with Covid-19 could reduce the number of infections, keep more hospital staff safe and remove some of the burden on already stretched healthcare services caused by absence of key staff due to illness.
“Vaccination is clearly also an absolute priority for anyone who hasn’t yet taken up their offer.”
