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'''Special Considerations'''
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* ''Supply of N95 respirators & surgical masks'' - Supplies have been dwindling worldwide. U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams tweeted "STOP BUYING MASKS!" to Americans, though this had little impact on the American supply chain. Adams ultimately was caught hoarding masks, but their reintroduction into the health care system only bought another week of time.<ref>[https://gomerblog.com/2020/03/surgeon-general-jerome-adams-caught-hoarding-n95-masks/ COVID-19: U.S. Surgeon General Caught Hoarding All of Nation’s Masks (Gomerblog)]</ref> Decreased availability of N95 respirators has forced health care professionals to use lower quality N94, N93, N92, N91, N90, N89, N88, N87, N86, N85, N84, N83, N82, N81, N80, N79, N78, N77, N76, N75, N74, N73, N72, N71, N70, N69, N68, N67, N66, N65, N64, N63, N62, N61, N60, N59, N58, N57, N56, N55, N54, N53, N52, N51, N50, N49, N48, N47, N46, N45, N44, N43, N42, N41, N40, N39, N38, N37, N36, N35, N34, N33, N32, N31, N30, N29, N28, N27, N26, N25, N24, N23, N22, N21, N20, N19, N18, N17, N16, N15, N14, N13, N12, N11, N10, N9, N8, N7, N6, N5, N4, N3, N2, and N1 masks, and even these are running low. The supply of surgical masks has also been depleted even though '''COVID-19''' hasn't peaked. The [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] has suggested the use of homemade PPE such as bandanas and scarves as a last resort. Gomerblog has suggested other creative items should the supply of bandanas and scarves become depleted. Some of these include: sweaty sports cup, jock strap, pantyhose, turtleneck (pulled upwards), winter cap (pulled downwards), Saran Wrap, large condom, tampons (placed in nostrils), ski or SCUBA masks, snorkels, and horse feed bags.<ref>[https://gomerblog.com/2020/03/covid-19-tips-facemasks/ COVID-19 Tips: What to Do When No Facemasks Are Available (Gomerblog)]</ref>. Despite what would appear to be a dire situations, Americas nurses remain upbeat as they can't think if anything else better to do after a 12-hour shift than to make their own personal protective equipment.<ref>[https://gomerblog.com/2020/03/nurses-excited-to-make-their-own-ppe/ Nurses Excited to Make Their Own PPE (Gomerblog)]</ref>
* ''Supply of health care professionals'' - Contact tracing of the first U.S. cases of '''COVID-19''' led to the 2-week self-quarantine of anywhere from 40 to 200 health care workers. In the event of a patient surge, such quarantine protocols would eventually deplete the work force. Subspecialists are the most sensible back-ups given their prior training in medicine or surgery. OB/GYNs have already volunteered their services on the front line, but radiologists are already being drafted, putting them in the unique position of performing their own [[Clinical Correlation|clinical correlations]].<ref>[https://gomerblog.com/2020/03/radiologist-drafted-into-direct-patient-care-forced-to-perform-own-clinical-correlation/ Radiologist Drafted Into Direct Patient Care, Forced to Perform Own Clinical Correlation (Gomerblog)]</ref> Orthopedic surgeons are relearning ICU things.<ref>[https://gomerblog.com/2020/03/orthopaedic-surgeons-attempting-to-re-learn-icu-things-🤦%E2%80%8D♂%EF%B8%8F/ Orthopaedic Surgeons Attempting to “Re-learn” ICU Things (Gomerblog)]</ref> In the extreme scenario shortages still persist, first-year medical students, undergraduate students contemplating a career in health care, and toddlers with Fisher-Price [[Stethoscope|stethoscopes]] will serve as backup.