Wearing masks isn’t going to prevent you from catching it. Pointless imo UNLESS you’re sick. And yes the doctor masks are way better. If you’re not sick and you’re using it you’re taking it from someone who is sick 1. And 2. You touch something and then touch your mask and then put the mask back on your face. How is that stopping anything?
"How to make an effective face mask at home"
"...The researchers used regular cotton t-shirts to make no-sew face masks. First, they boiled the cotton for ten minutes in order to sterilize it. Then, they cut the cotton to size and formed a mask using one outer layer and eight inner layers that covered the nose and mouth. The mask could be tied around the wearer's head, to get a snug fit without elastic. Testing showed that this mask "offered substantial protection."
continued at:
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-make-an-effective-face-mask-at-home-2020-3
"...The researchers used regular cotton t-shirts to make no-sew face masks. First, they boiled the cotton for ten minutes in order to sterilize it. Then, they cut the cotton to size and formed a mask using one outer layer and eight inner layers that covered the nose and mouth. The mask could be tied around the wearer's head, to get a snug fit without elastic. Testing showed that this mask "offered substantial protection."
continued at:
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-make-an-effective-face-mask-at-home-2020-3
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/would-everyone-wearing-face-masks-help-us-slow-pandemic
"But some health experts, including the director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, think that’s a mistake. Health authorities in parts of Asia have encouraged all citizens to wear masks in public to prevent the spread of the virus, regardless of whether they have symptoms. And the Czech Republic took the uncommon step last week of making nose and mouth coverings mandatory in public spaces, prompting a grassroots drive to hand make masks."
"...When people do venture out and interact, they’re likely to spew some saliva. “I don’t want to frighten you, but when people speak and breathe and sing—you don’t have to sneeze or cough—these droplets are coming out,” he says.
"...Despite messages from some health officials to the contrary, it’s likely that a mask can help protect a healthy wearer from infection, says Benjamin Cowling, an epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong. Both surgical masks and the more protective N95 respirators have been shown to prevent various respiratory infections in health care workers;... “It doesn’t make sense to imagine that … surgical masks are really important for health care workers but then not useful at all for the general public,” Cowling says.
"... “I think the average person, if they were taught how to wear a mask properly … would have some protection against infection in the community.”
"... initial evidence suggests people without symptoms may also transmit the coronavirus without knowing they’re infected. Data from contact-tracing efforts—in which researchers monitor the health of people who recently interacted with someone confirmed to have an infection—suggest nearly half of SARS-CoV-2 transmissions occur before the infected person shows symptoms. And some seem to contract and clear the virus without ever feeling sick. “If I knew who was asymptomatic and presymptomatic [for COVID-19], I’d … triage the face masks to those individuals,” Monto says.
"...A key factor pushing health authorities to discourage mask wearing is the limited supply, says Elaine Shuo Feng, an epidemiologist and statistician at the University of Oxford."
[But home made & alternative masks would solve that problem & provide protection to society, reducing the number of infections, seriously ill & dead.]
"The shortage has inspired do-it-yourself movements in many countries to produce cloth masks—which CDC acknowledges can be a last resort for health care workers lacking other protection. Rigorous studies comparing cloth masks to surgical ones or investigating the ideal material for homemade masks are lacking.
Cheng expects masks to become more important in the United States and Europe once the peak of COVID-19 cases passes and social distancing restrictions loosen. “Just imagine you’re traveling in the New York [City] subway on a busy morning. If everyone wears a mask, I’m sure that it would reduce the transmission,” he says..."
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/would-everyone-wearing-face-masks-help-us-slow-pandemic
Though health officials have warned Americans to prepare for the spread of the novel coronavirus in the U.S., people shouldn’t wear face masks to prevent the spread of the infectious illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. surgeon general.
But that’s not the only reason Americans may want to think twice about using masks, one expert told MarketWatch.
Most people don’t know how to use face masks correctly, and a rush to buy masks could prevent the people who need them most — health care providers — from getting them, said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a scholar at the Center for Health Security at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
In fact the U.S. surgeon general recently urged the public to “STOP BUYING MASKS!” “They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!,” wrote Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Twitter TWTR, <bg-quote field="percentchange" format="0,000.00%%" channel="/zigman2/quotes/203180645/composite" class="negative" style="box-sizing: inherit; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">-4.24%</bg-quote>
The CDC said last month it doesn’t recommend people use face masks, making the announcement on the same day that first case of person-to-person transmission of coronavirus was reported in the U.S. The CDC recommendation on masks stands, a spokesman told MarketWatch Wednesday, even with the first reported case of a COVID-19 infection in an individual in California who had not been to China or been exposed to a person diagnosed with the virus.
But that’s not the only reason Americans may want to think twice about using masks, one expert told MarketWatch.
Most people don’t know how to use face masks correctly, and a rush to buy masks could prevent the people who need them most — health care providers — from getting them, said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a scholar at the Center for Health Security at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
In fact the U.S. surgeon general recently urged the public to “STOP BUYING MASKS!” “They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!,” wrote Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Twitter TWTR, <bg-quote field="percentchange" format="0,000.00%%" channel="/zigman2/quotes/203180645/composite" class="negative" style="box-sizing: inherit; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">-4.24%</bg-quote>
The CDC said last month it doesn’t recommend people use face masks, making the announcement on the same day that first case of person-to-person transmission of coronavirus was reported in the U.S. The CDC recommendation on masks stands, a spokesman told MarketWatch Wednesday, even with the first reported case of a COVID-19 infection in an individual in California who had not been to China or been exposed to a person diagnosed with the virus.
The CDC statements that follow are in quotes & my response follows:
"Masks should be used by sick people to prevent transmission to other people. A mask will help keep a person's droplets in."
The problem is, without being tested & without a vaccine, how do you know if anyone is "sick", i.e. infected with COVID-19. Hence the need for - everyone (in general) - to use a mask.
"It may be less effective to wear a mask in the community when a person is not sick themselves."
It - "may" - be. Also notice in this statement CDC doesn't deny that it may be effective to do so.
"Masks may give a person a false sense of security..."
That's where education comes in.
"and are likely to increase the number of times a person will touch their own face (e.g., to adjust the mask)."
Just don't touch your eyes, nose or mouth. It's easy to do.
"Any mask, no matter how efficient at filtration or how good the seal, will have minimal effect if it is not used together with other preventive measures, such as frequent hand washing and physical distancing."
So the CDC admits masks can have an effect.
http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/about-covid-19/prevention
"Masks should be used by sick people to prevent transmission to other people. A mask will help keep a person's droplets in."
The problem is, without being tested & without a vaccine, how do you know if anyone is "sick", i.e. infected with COVID-19. Hence the need for - everyone (in general) - to use a mask.
"It may be less effective to wear a mask in the community when a person is not sick themselves."
It - "may" - be. Also notice in this statement CDC doesn't deny that it may be effective to do so.
"Masks may give a person a false sense of security..."
That's where education comes in.
"and are likely to increase the number of times a person will touch their own face (e.g., to adjust the mask)."
Just don't touch your eyes, nose or mouth. It's easy to do.
"Any mask, no matter how efficient at filtration or how good the seal, will have minimal effect if it is not used together with other preventive measures, such as frequent hand washing and physical distancing."
So the CDC admits masks can have an effect.
http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/about-covid-19/prevention
okay, my bad
We r seeing the beautful state of New York become ovewhelmed. Dissemination of accuate , recommended information from our healthcare agencies is important. Information contrary to it can present challenges, create chaos, panic. Again , if you feel safer with a mask (try to get a level 3 )in public, at home, while sleeping go for it. May want to get a humidifier if your room is dry , helps the respiratory epithelium from drying out
again a mask will provide some protection in droplet transmission/viral load. Studies are all over the map from providing 5 x protection to minimal . I dont have the link to those studies , just from random readings
stay well
Excellent article on why some countries wear masks and others don't...
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52015486
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52015486
Studies i've posted indicate they can. It's just common sense. Moreover, otherwise, why would presumed healthy heath care workers be wearing them in the midst of hospitalized COVID-19 infected patients.
If you haven't been tested & found to be negative, how do you know you're not sick? Why couldn't you be sick without symptoms & still passing the virus onto others? Hence the need for virtually everyone to be wearing a mask.
Make your own mask at home, as many are doing.
Just don't touch your nose, mouth or eyes. Easy peasy.
Be safe, live long & prosper.
"[FONT="]The Los Angeles County Office of Education, which encompasses 80 school districts, notes that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the LA County Department of Public Health [/FONT]do not recommend the use of masks[FONT="] for preventive purposes. It reiterates the view of the county health department that there is “no immediate threat to the general public, and no special precautions are required.” "
[/FONT]https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...ey-work-cdc-doesnt-recommend-them/4618943002/[FONT="]
Riiiiiiiiiiiight ! lol[/FONT]
[/FONT]https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...ey-work-cdc-doesnt-recommend-them/4618943002/[FONT="]
Riiiiiiiiiiiight ! lol[/FONT]
