Desperate need of ‘women only PPE’ to fight Covid-19

There is word going around that that standard personal protective equipment (PPE), which has a unisex design, doesn’t always fit women properly.

Healthcare workers are saying that even the smallest sizes are too big for some women – who make up 77% of the NHS workforce, according to NHS Digital figures from 2018.

If it is too big it can be less effective in providing a complete barrier to the virus.

“PPE is designed to be unisex and offer protection for both genders, although some products are available in different sizes to enable fit to both small and larger frames,” said the Department of Health, in a statement.

Some nurses find it hard to work while wearing those PPE as wearing it for hours long shift.

Some female NHS workers have taken to social media to share photos of themselves wearing badly-fitting PPE.