The current recommendations from the Public Health Agency of Canada require contact and droplet precautions, which include facial protection (with surgical or procedure mask and eye protection — goggles, safety glasses, visor, or face shield), gown and gloves for routine care of a suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19. Hand hygiene should be performed whenever indicated, paying particular attention to during and after the removal of PPE, and after leaving the patient care environment.
For aerosol-generating medical procedures (AGMPs), N95 respirators are required in place of a surgical mask. This recommendation is informed by the current evidence that indicates COVID-19 is spread through respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing or prolonged personal contact. Each province/territory may develop separate guidance; therefore, it is important to determine what the provincial and organizational guidance states in your place of work.
CNA believes regulated nurses and other health-care workers should be provided with the maximum level of protection available to them and that the choice for appropriate protection used in clinical situations in hospitals are made by providers in each situation. Regulated nurses are well prepared to make those decisions — but they base them on sound guidelines and evidence and they need to be able to quickly access appropriate protection for the clinical situation at hand. Read CNA’s Key Messages on PPE [PDF, 196.8 KB].