Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic represents an increase in consultations and demand for care in health services; however, health personnel could be exposed to greater risks than the general population, if adequate protection measures are not taken. Objective: To determine the personal protection needs of health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: The preliminary results of a descriptive cross-sectional study are presented in which an online survey collected information regarding the needs of personal protection elements (PPE) in 521 people in the health area, linked to 4 third level care centers in Cauca department. Results: 47.1% of participants reported not having received training regarding the use of PPE after the establishment of the state of emergency in Colombia. 37% report feeling insecure or not knowing anything about PPE and 64.5% reported having to buy personal protection items, mainly face masks (surgical mask) and N95 mask. Conclusions: Although this is a study with non-probability sampling, the results show that it is necessary to immediately increase coverage with respect to the PPE of health personnel, while promoting training in the use of these. Lack of this coverage could favor the desertion of health personnel, affecting their own health and the health of the general population.