Tired of talking about supplies? Tough.
Because - as much as we'd all like to say, think, or believe that we're past the worst of it - the COVID-19 pandemic is still in full effect.
Whether the danger is rising, falling, or staying the same in your community, the world as a whole is still very much affected -- particularly where it comes to the supply chain.
Your normal suppliers haven't gotten back to normal yet, and - as unfortunate as it is - what we're reading this week seems to indicate that they might not get back to normal for the foreseeable future.
- According to the best evidence currently available, there will continue to be a PPE shortage for years. For years.
- The shortage is, in fact, so bad that the FDA took the unprecedented move of announcing and tracking what is in short supply.
- Here's some good news out of one study: if your facilities are like many providers' out there, you can safely sanitize and reuse some masks. (Although, while many masks are almost as effective as the N95, some masks used by civilians might actually hurt more than help.)
Speaking of masks that get worse every time they're reused... (We have fun here, don't we, folks?)
- Hand sanitizer: be careful when you're using it. Because...
- at least 15 people have been hospitalized because of contaminated hand sanitizer.
- several companies have recalled their contaminated hand sanitizer.
- the FDA has identified several distinct contaminants in hand sanitizer with widespread use.
- luckily, the FDA is updating a list of recalled and unsafe hand sanitizer. - How could all these problems be happening all at once and so consistently throughout the industry? It might be because healthcare procurement didn't prioritize investigating its emergency suppliers. (And maybe never got to know its normal suppliers, either.)
Getting to know current and potential vendors is a huge part of the advice in this week's episode of Take 5: An Inventory Series.
It will continue to be crucial in the coming weeks as we talk to infection prevention experts Onsite. Join us next week. Same mask time, same mask channel.