Hamilton doctor looks to normalize ‘goofy’ N95 respirators

Dr. Joe Oliver is on a mission to normalize the wearing of goofy masks. Well, goofy to some. Potentially life-saving to many.

Oliver has spent much of the past year helping to inoculate Hamiltonians against COVID. But as people would sit down at his vaccine clinics for their shot, he kept thinking how grimly ironic it was to be vaccinating people against a deadly airborne virus while, at the same time, they were sporting a baggy cloth mask that was half-sliding off their faces.

It started to feel unethical," he said of letting masks literally slide.

So he started speaking up, offhandedly suggesting people try more-protective N95 respirator masks.

Surprisingly, many already had some at home.

But they weren't sure whether to wear them or they felt a bit funny wearing them," said Oliver, a pediatrician who also works with the Shelter Health Network in Hamilton and Waypoint Centre for Mental Health in Penetanguishene.

He wanted to change that. So he took to Twitter.

I meet a LOT of folks who tell me they have N95s at home but feel weird wearing them because they don't see others doing so," Oliver wrote in a tweet on Sunday. Please anyone post a photo or change your profile pic to one (with) N95 on."

The tweet got 1,000 likes in a just over a day. And the N95 selfies started pouring in.

Here's my (8-year-old) looking stylish in a black N95 at Casa Loma," tweeted one person.

My life preserver, when you are drowning the last thing that should interest you is how you look inside the life preserver," posted another.

Oliver's message has solid backing.

While mask guidance has changed throughout the pandemic - starting with the unfortunate recommendation to not wear them - top experts are now firmly in the following camp: the higher quality the mask, the better the protection.

Last week, the head of Ontario's Science Advisory Table said single-layer cloth face masks might not provide sufficient protection against the Omicron variant.

The issue here is if you have a single-layer, the ability to filtrate is absolutely minimal and doesn't make a difference whatsoever," said Dr. Peter Juni, noting N95s are a better option.

In November, the Public Health Agency of Canada also updated its guidelines on mask use, saying medical masks and respirators provide better protection" than non-medical masks. The key thing, they add, is that they must fit your face well. Some experts even recommend using medical tape to seal off gaps.

Still, mask-selection remains a contentious issue in some settings.

At Hamilton public schools, for instance, staff are required to wear a board-provided medical mask."

We are awaiting direction from the province on N95 respirators specifically as an alternative for staff prior to the return of in-person learning," said Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board spokesperson Shawn McKillop.

At the Catholic board, chairperson Patrick Daly said the Ministry of Education advised school boards early in the pandemic that all staff working in schools are to wear Level 2 ASTM medical grade masks."

Those are the masks the board is providing to staff. However, through the Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association, we continue to advocate for the provision/use of N95 masks," he added.

Regardless, finding an N95 or similar KN95 might be the most difficult part of any uphill mask battle.

The respirators have been sold at places like Costco, and Oliver buys his from Canadian maker Vitacore and looks for reputable retailers through a site called Masks4Canada.org, but mask-searchers are still struggling to find supply amid the recent demand. And for some, the cost can be prohibitive. Vitacore lists 30-unit packs at around $80.

Oliver would like to get more masks into the hands of those who can't afford them. He's started a GoFundMe to help with that effort.

As for the positive response to his tweet, Oliver called it awesome." He loves seeing people wear their masks - some which look similar to duck bills - loud and proud."

The goofier, the better," he said. That's the new normal."

Katrina Clarke is a reporter at The Spectator. katrinaclarke@thespec.com