Research Issues 7

1.0 Introduction 1.1 Background of Research

PPE, it’s an acronym that particularly in terms of shortages for medical professionals. It stands for personal protective equipment, and it’s one crucial way to both stop the spread of COVID-19 and keep the healthcare workers such as doctors, nurses, and other caregivers currently on the pandemic’s frontlines safe. COVID-19 is believed to spread via close contact with infected aerosol droplets, where the virus may enter our body via breathing in these droplets or by touching a contaminated surface, then touching our exposed organs, which are not covered by the protective barrier of skin, such as the eyes, nose and mouth(Dr. Hardip Singh Gendeh & Dr. Danny Wong,2020). Therefore, the importance of PPE is highlighted. PPE for healthcare workers is more complex than those for the general public, and is dependent on the level of exposure to a Covid-19 patient.While the equipment is necessary for both public and personal health, there’s one glaring issue right now concerning PPE which is a major shortage and it’s putting anyone who comes into contact with COVID-19 patients at risk. (Leah Groth, 2020). In early March, the World Health Organization issued a call for governments and industries to increase personal protective equipment (PPE) production as prices surged and quickly depleting supplies were sold to the highest bidder. Fashion brands and factories pivoted their production lines in response. Fashion’s emergency response exposes the existing flaws in PPE production and local textile manufacturing. It also presents an opportunity for regrowth. The Emergency Designer Network is mobilising furloughed fashion workers to create medical workwear for local hospitals. As store closures point to an uncertain future for apparel factories, switching to essential products like PPE could offset the negative impacts, providing a more stable income stream and bringing new blood into textile production (Bella Webb, 2020).