Canadian doctors—and dancers—Paul Winston and Ève Boissonnault have been posting videos of themselves dancing in N95 mask (respirators), to encourage others to mask in healthcare settings and to demonstrate that it's possible to breathe comfortably in them. In one of their recent dance posts, Winston explains:
Just a wee reminder we are asking people to mask up in hospital this fall. I promise you we can breathe, you can see our expressions of joy and empathy. And FYI no I haven't missed a day of work since COVID. (Isolated test negative over a March Break)
After this dance post got attacked by anti-mask trolls, they responded with another beautiful dance video, with this response:
Thanks for a troll-free Sunday 😍
Paul Winston and Ève Boissonnault are dancers who study and practice rehabilitation medicine and incorporate movement and dance into their medical practice. Follow their social media for more videos of them doctoring and dancing.
According to CDC data, new hospital admissions for COVID-19 continue to rise. And when hospitals don't require healthcare workers or patients to mask, COVID spreads, as do other infections. According to CNN, citing CDC data, in the United States, at least 1 in every 31 patients acquires an infection in hospitals and other health care settings. CNN provides more details:
This amounts to about 1.7 million infected patients and 98,000 deaths a year and results in at least $28.4 billion in additional health care costs.
Along with doctors like Winston and Boissonnault, organizations like the People's CDC and Action-Care-Equity are also fighting to keep masks or bring back masks in healthcare settings. Click through to their websites to learn more.
