In the rush to find a way to slow the pandemic, all sorts of tools are being used to varying degrees of success. This has meant an increase in the amount of personal protective gear being used by even non-medical individuals, ranging from surgical masks to hospital shoe covers. The sheer interest in people to keep safe from the coronavirus has seen an increase in the sales of medical gear, with people doing what they can to put up a barrier of protection between them and others, however minimal that barrier may be. Shoe covers are just one part of the layer, but worth looking into nonetheless.
The Basic Use of the Covers
The shoe covers essentially cover the shoe and can then be disposed of once they have been used. Shoe covers are generally worn as part of full barrier precautions, adding to the protection offered by coveralls and masks. Combined with all of the other gear, they can help provide a barrier against airborne micro-organisms, especially when the wearer deals with a potentially contaminated environment. While they are used primarily in operating rooms and, they are also used when the patient has some sort of hemorrhagic disease. They are also used in the care of patients that require a sterile environment.
Other Uses
Hospitals are not the only ones that use shoe covers; they are seen in a variety of arenas where contaminating the area is ill-advised. Crime scene investigators use them so that they may enter an area without leaving a trace behind; this allows them to investigate the area without contaminating any potential evidence. Painters also use them as protection; they can put them on, do a job, and then remove them without getting their shoes painted. They are also used by some researchers and computer technicians to enter sterile environments in order to not contaminate it. For such a minor piece of equipment, they see a lot of use.
Besides their primary use in hospitals and their various secondary uses, hospital shoe covers are starting to see some use by those worried about the spread of the coronavirus. The goal is that, when combined with other protections, the covers can help provide a barrier of protection from the disease, enabling the person to enter a contaminated environment and exit it without contracting the disease. This makes the covers an important part of the person’s defense against the pandemic, and one that has shown some promise.