Think about the N95 mask. Our lifeline in the fight against covid. At once something so simple and so complicated. Would you ever imagine that the inventor of this absolutely invaluable mask is a man of only 68, who just retired two years ago? That the N95 was only invented in 1995. Invented. In 1995. Holy moly.
I guess I’m showing my age, but that doesn’t seem long enough ago for a mask that protects so many people from so many things… before covid, it was (and still is) used for those who care for patients with tuberculosis, novel flu strains such as H1N1 back in 2009, hemorrhagic viruses such as Ebola, and construction workers use it to filter airborne particles many of which can cause permanent lung damage as well.
A world without N95s seems like a very dangerous place.
So, the shortage that occurred during our covid surges throughout America and the world are a major failure. The lack of ability for even healthcare providers to have adequate personal protective equipment (ppe) is a sign of how broken our healthcare system and our government really is.
The continued dedication of healthcare professionals however–those who go to work anyways, even if they have to reuse masks for way too long or wear homemade masks and gowns–is a testament to the goodness of people, to the bravery that can be found even in the face of mortality.
I have been going to work knowing that if I get covid, I could die. But I go anyways. And I always would.
That is why I so appreciate the story if Dr. Peter Tsai, the inventor of the N95. He has come out of retirement to help companies change manufacturing plants in order to meet the needs of our healthcare system. And he does this for nothing. He feels it is his calling… read more about him in this feature in the Washington Post.