Connemara native and well known GP, Dr Maitiú Ó Tuathail, Medical Director of Heroes-Aid, has gained international media attention after posting a video on social media to debunk the myth that face masks lowers the wearer’s oxygen levels. Dr Ó Tuathail posted a video of himself to his Twitter page wearing six face masks while connected to a monitor displaying no change in his oxygen levels, to demonstrate that face masks have no effect on a wearer’s blood oxygen levels.
Getting asked“Does wearing a face mask lower your oxygen levels” repeatedly by patients today!Based on what they are reading on social media*Face coverings / masks don’t reduce your oxygen levels!*I managed to get six face masks on + it had no effect on my oxygen levels! pic.twitter.com/qNKYa8pejx
— Maitiu O Tuathail (@DrZeroCraic ) July 14, 2020
The footage of Dr Ó Tuathail has been carried by news outlets worldwide from the United states to Australia, including The New York Post, Fox news, Euro news, Ladbible, and NowThis Politics, and has been viewed over 20 million times across their respective social media platforms. The original video uploaded to Dr Ó Tuathail’s Twitter page has been viewed over 620,000 times.
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Dr Maitiú Ó Tuathail, Medical Director of Heroes-Aid said he made the video to debunk a dangerous myth regarding face masks, and is both surprised and delighted that it has been seen by so many people.
“Face coverings are an essential weapon in the fight against Covid-19 and now more than ever, we need to embrace and accept face coverings. it is vital that people know the facts around face coverings and their importance in stopping the spread of Covid-19. At Heroes-Aid, we are striving to provide supports to frontline workers, including supplying them with PPE, as it remains the most important factor in ensuring the safety of frontline healthcare staff during the pandemic.”
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Dr Maitiú Ó Tuathail is a General Practitioner based in Dublin. He is a former President of the National Association of General Practitioners. He also serves as Medical Director of Heroes-Aid, a voluntary not-for-profit organisation established in the early stage of the Covid-19 pandemic in March, to protect and support frontline health care workers.
Mary Leahy, CEO of Heroes-Aid and also a Galway native said the work of Heroes-Aid has only begun.
“We have supplied those on the frontline with over 500,000 pieces of PPE to date. We are now moving towards providing psychological supports to those who have spent the last few months fighting Covid on the frontline. We want to support them in any way we can. If people want to learn more about us, or indeed donate, they can find out more on www.heroes-aid.com,” she said.
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Since it was founded, Heroes-Aid has utilised over €260,000 in donations from members of the public to supply Ireland’s frontline workers with over 500,000 pieces of PPE.
The goal of Heroes-Aid is to raise funds to provide practical supports, such as essential PPE and other resources to keep Ireland’s healthcare heroes safe as they care for us. The voluntary organisation also intends to provide longer-term psychological, educational and practical support for frontline healthcare workers, their children and families who have been negatively impacted by Covid-19.
See www.heroes-aid.com; @Heroes_Aid (Twitter ); @heroes_aid_ireland (Instagram ).
