Biological risk from SARS-CoV-2 and respiratory protection device for health workers during the first pandemic phase: a scenario that had to be avoided

Abstract

In Italy, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic showed the devastating consequences of a widespread biological risk not only for the general population, but also for healthcare workers that diagnose COVID-19 and treat patients. In the set of preventive measures taken to reduce this contagion, a fundamental role in personal protection is played by equipment suitable for preventing the contaminated air inhalation. Despite this severe biological risk during the first epidemic phase, some institutional operating protocols and recommendations have shown limitations and contradictions and, therefore, they must not be repeated. It was observed a widespread inadequate use of respiratory protections, such as surgical masks, which show a low efficacy for health workers; adequate respiratory protective devices are instead rarely used, while their use should have been guaranteed more extensively than it is recommended and noticed, according to the current work hygiene legislation.