The City of Toronto is committed to ensuring our frontline staff, including emergency responders, those working with individuals experiencing homelessness, and staff in long-term care homes, have the personal protective equipment (PPE) they need to stay safe and protect their health and the health of the community.
Today, Mayor John Tory announced that the City of Toronto has received three million ATSM Level 2 surgical masks. The masks, ordered from Canadian distributor AMG Medical Inc. in late March, arrived in two shipments with the final shipment of two million masks delivered to the City earlier today. The new masks have been inspected and staff have confirmed masks are as ordered and have passed inspection.
Surgical masks are used extensively by staff in the City’s emergency shelters and long-term care facilities. Prior to receiving the shipments, as of April 14, the City of Toronto had enough surgical masks for 52 days at current consumption and 25 days in the worst-case scenario. This new inventory adds approximately 127 days of stock at current consumption and would provide 60 additional days of protection in the worst-case scenario.
Yesterday, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Eileen de Villa explained that while Toronto is currently in the peak period for reported COVID-19 cases, the situation in congregate facilities is very different with higher-rates of COVID-19 infection expected to continue. This new influx of PPE will ensure staff can continue to help the most vulnerable Torontonians in our shelters and long-term care facilities.
The City is continuing to source PPE to support frontline workers responding to COVID-19. The Emergency Operations Centre includes a PPE Task Force responsible for monitoring and allocating the City’s PPE, projecting PPE needs, implementing PPE conservation strategies, and investigating alternative PPE options and procurement strategies.
Quotes:
“The COVID-19 fight is not over. We need to keep working to ensure all people in the city are protected from this deadly virus. This new order of 3 million surgical masks will greatly help the people on the frontlines of the fight in our City’s long-term care homes and shelters. We are working non-stop to secure PPE for the employees who need it. While we continue to support staff and vulnerable residents, it is important everyone else do what they can: Stay home as much as possible and keep their distance from others.”
– Mayor John Tory
“Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been impressed with the work of the Emergency Operations Centre’s PPE Task Force. The men and women working on securing PPE for the City understand the critical role their work plays in ensuring our frontline first responders, long-term care workers, and shelter and support workers can safely do their jobs, care for the city’s most vulnerable, and keep the community safe.”
– Fire Chief Matthew Pegg, General Manager of the Office of Emergency Management
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