A shipment of recalled surgical masks sent out to Toronto’s long-term care facilities made up about 50 per cent of the city’s supply for that product.
“About a two to three-week supply remaining,” Fire Chief Matthew Pegg said Tuesday about the shipment, worth about $200,000.
Pegg said that all other forms of PPE are at six to eight weeks of supply.
He said it’s the only defective shipment the city has received and that the vendor has committed to a full refund for the masks, which were manufactured in China.
However, it’s unclear when the shipment will be replaced and the city is also working with the province to expedite more of the surgical masks.
It’s also unknown exactly how many of the masks were taken out of the box and used and how many were left behind, but Pegg did say that problems with the masks were immediate.
“They were suffering premature failure, so they were commonly described to as ripping and tearing,” he said.
The masks were distributed to various long-term-care facilities on March 28th, with the city later confirming they arrived at three homes with reported COVID-19 cases, including Seven Oaks, Kipling Acres and Lakeshore Lodge.
Toronto’s seven other facilities have not recorded any cases and Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa couldn’t say if any staff had been removed, since that would be under Occupational Health and Safety’s direction, which is conducting an investigation.
Pegg says inspectors will also increase quality control for incoming shipments.