VANCOUVER -- The call for help only went out a few days ago, but already there has been an outpouring of support.
Donations of personal protective equipment for frontline workers have been pouring in.
Operation Protect, organized by SafeCare BC, has collected close to 18,000 N95 respirator masks along with significant quantities of hand sanitizer and exam gloves.
“I’m heartened by the fact the community has responded so strongly,” Dr. Michael Yatscoff told CTV.
The emergency room doctor at Abbotsford Regional Hospital says the mood inside the hospital is “anxious and tense."
"We’re all afraid of bringing this home ourselves or to our families," he said.
But in the midst of the crisis, medical staff are going through equipment fast, raising concerns they could run out of critical protective supplies.
“Pretty much anyone coming in with respiratory symptoms now we’re assuming could have COVID. What that means is each patient requires a change of personal protective equipment before we can assess or examine them," Yatscoff said.
SafeCare is working with the province to ensure the equipment gets to where it is needed most.
B.C.’s top doctor says the province has been working “relentlessly” on getting equipment for healthcare workers.
“We have taken a number of different steps, including innovative ways of reprocessing and cleaning, getting it from wherever we can,” Dr. Bonnie Henry said.
Today in Surrey, Operation Protect received donations from both businesses and individuals.
“It’s been a range from whatever people have in their first aid kit right through to those large donations and they’re all welcome,” SafeCare BC CEO Jen Lyle told CTV News.
“What we’re asking is for the public to donate any new, unused, unopened medical supplies that they might have. So things like gloves, N95 respirators, surgical masks and hand sanitizer.“
Dr. Yatscoff says right now, they need to prepare for the worst, but hope for the best.
Information on the donations that are needed for healthcare workers can be found online.
