No one wants masks, but we still need them to keep Covid at bay | Letters
As a fellow doctor, I’d like to remind Jack Pickard (Letters, 2 February) of his duty of care to patients and of their right to be cared for in safe environments. His opinion that the ongoing requirement for mask-wearing in all clinical areas should be abolished is irresponsible.
I am sure many builders would prefer not to wear a hard hat on site, just as some doctors would prefer not to wear a mask. However, as per the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the wearing of correct personal protective equipment at work is a legal requirement.
Sars-CoV-2 is a level 3 airborne biohazard. It is not a cold. Through his work with children, Dr Pickard will know that they are not immune to the harms of this virus. No one wants to wear a mask, but many of us do because – despite political denial and media silence – we are still in the midst of a pandemic.
As an intensive care doctor, Dr Pickard will have access to respiratory protective equipment and will spend his time working in a properly ventilated ICU ward. Many healthcare workers were not fortunate enough to be afforded the same workplace protections and paid for this with their lives, or ended up disabled by long Covid.
Dr Pickard argues that mask-wearing should be forgone because “there appears to be no concept of when it will end”. Extending that logic, should we abolish seatbelts because the risk of road traffic accidents is never going to end?
I do not disagree that masks are a short-term fix. The science is clear about the solution: ventilation. The UK government must now invest in clean air. But until environments are made safe through the installation of ventilation systems, it is a moral imperative for every healthcare worker to wear a mask to keep themselves and their patients safe.
Kelly Fearnley
Foundation doctor, West Yorkshire
Being immunocompromised and having had Covid, I ended up with complications of recurring shingles; I still take a prophylactic to suppress them. I did get vaccinated in early 2021 – since then, my GP’s advice was not to have the booster due to my current health issues. I am vulnerable to life-threatening complications from Covid. My health is worse now than before Covid. So three years on, I’m still shielding.
Like Dr Jack Pickard, I would much prefer to see a doctor’s face when in consultation, – but the reality is that masks protect my health and my life. Is my life worth less than seeing someone’s face to “connect” with?
Despite my GP’s advice, my hospital has told me that it’s my personal choice not to be vaccinated, and I must be treated the same as everyone else. I therefore have to sit in waiting rooms with people not wearing masks. Apparently, it’s a conflict between the general population and a few people who are vulnerable like me.
The local NHS is surprised that I’m upset, feeling disfranchised and expendable. Other parts of the NHS have been absolutely wonderful, putting in place mitigations to reduce the risks to me. I thought a sign of a civilised society was in how it treats its minorities. I shouldn’t be surprised that this behaviour has filtered into the NHS, when the government hardly sets a good example itself. I can’t be the only person in this position.
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