Short research paper: Personal protective equipment for the care of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients – Modelling requirements and burn rate

•Paucity of PPE burn rate (PPE consumption over time) data in pandemic situations exacerbated PPE supply issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.•Data on the number of staff-to-patient interactions in a 24-h period required for the care of COVID-19 hospital inpatients is presented.•An approach to PPE demand simulation modelling using this data that can be adapted to other healthcare settings is presented.