The world is in crisis. The coronavirus has taken people by storm and nobody really knows where it came from, although everyone has their theories.

At first, it was reported that the virus came from Chinese bats. Others speculated that it was the nefarious creation of sinister scientists that have weaponised the flu and “accidentally” unleashed it on the rest of us.

Others still claim that it is the result of electromagnetic pollution caused by the 5G rollout:

Regardless of where this unwelcome disease comes from, it is creating unprecedented demand on our healthcare systems and those on the frontline of it: doctors and nurses.

As the patients come piling in with this infectious new disease, the government, despite all of their rhetoric, is failing to supply them with the necessary equipment to do their jobs properly and safely.

This has prompted doctors to beg the government for a helping hand.

Nearly 4,000 NHS workers have called upon the Prime Minister to ‘protect the lives of the life-savers’ and resolve the ‘unacceptable’ shortage of protective equipment. In an open letter to The Sunday Times, the group said many medical workers are ‘putting their lives on the line every day’ by treating coronavirus patients without appropriate protection, and they called on Mr Johnson to ensure an adequate supply of masks, safety glasses, gloves, aprons and protective suits

While new shipments of face masks have been shipped to the UK, doctors have complained that these are far from sufficient.

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The letter, signed by 3,963 front-line NHS staff, reads: “Front-line doctors have been telling us for weeks that they do not feel safe at work.

“Intensive care doctors and anesthetists have told us they have been carrying out the highest-risk procedure, putting a patient on a ventilator, with masks that expired in 2015.”

While doctors had high-tech masks to cover the nose and mouth when the first suspected coronavirus patients arrived two weeks ago, as supplies have depleted, they were switched to water-proof masks and, now, to paper masks.

Staff have been left exhausted and overstretched, with seven doctors off sick due to the virus. Extra nurses have also been drafted, including two with asthma and one with severe diabetes – conditions that put them at greater risk if they catch coronavirus.

The letter adds that pediatricians have warned their stocks of protective glasses would run out in 48 hours, including in special-care baby units.

The group also said ambulance workers had been arriving for shifts to find no hand sanitizer, masks or wipes were available. If urgent action is not taken, the doctors said, the public will be put at further risk and medical staff could lose their lives.

One anonymous doctor told journalists at MailOnline: “Imagine walking into a closed environment which is full of patients who have got this virus, suspected or confirmed, and (paper face mask, apron and gloves) is all we’ve got.”

He added: “’When we started we had that FFP3 mask. We had to go and get tested to see if the mask fits our face because it provides excellent cover against aerosol and droplets and ways the virus can get in. That was standard if you even come into contact with a suspected coronavirus patient. But that’s gone out now, for the paper masks. 

“The guidance is that unless you are in contact with a confirmed coronavirus patient and you work in intensive care you’re not supposed to wear the full protective equipment. While you’re dealing with a suspected coronavirus patient no matter how ill they are, you are supposed to have the mask, gloves and apron on. That’s it. So surgical masks, the masks you see on the street, are gone completely.”

Even at hospitals that do have a selection of full body kits, doctors are often instructed not to use them unless patients are deteriorating rapidly. This means that even once a patient tests positive for coronavirus, doctors that are treating them are not allowed to wear a mask to protect themselves until the patient starts to decline further.

Not only does this put healthcare professionals at greater risks – it also risks the health of patients that are being treated by them.

US doctors have complained of similar shortages, after the CDC loosened its guidelines for protective gear. Instead it suggested that health workers could don conventional surgical masks rather than the N95 respirators known to help keep the virus out. In some cases, health care workers have been asked to reuse disposable masks that are meant to be used only once to reduce the risk of contamination, and in turn infection.

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