We are thinking about masks wrong. You want every one else to wear a mask because they might have the virus, and if they do, the mask will stop droplets and aerosols from entering the air you breath and landing on surfaces that you may touch.
And of course, you should wear a mask too -- to protect others.
Had we all worn masks right when this started (simple cloth masks would do) this virus would not have spread so much and so easily.
It includes a variety of evidence for masks, including for impromptu masks and their quality.
Some key points from my linked article:
* You should (like many doctors and care staff) re-use your good quality masks, and the article explains how. (e.g. put it in a breathable bag, like paper, date it, and wait four days)
* If you have a good mask, like an N95, wear a lower quality mask over it, to preserve re-use of the good quality mask.
* For good fit, the mask should not touch the lips.
As it notes in the article, wearing a mask can be bad if it causes you to touch your face more. Though at the moment there has not been a single documented case of "smear" (person to object to person) transmission. And there was a 2.5 hour choir rehearsal with minimal touching that caused 75% of the attendees to become infected. So I have an old N100 respirator from wildfires a couple years ago that I am wearing when out.
One of the interesting side effects is that you can smell the ambient ozone when you take it off, since the respirator has been removing it. Don't be fooled, a typical suburban area reeks of ozone, but it's not perceptible because your nose ignores it as background.
It’s misleading to say there’s no evidence of smear transmission. Take that choral rehearsal you mention. Could have been that they breathed in droplets, also could have been that a droplet found their way to a shirt, the person touched their shirt, touched their face, bingo. The virus is known to survive on surfaces for several hours. In close, confined quarters the answer to smear vs droplet is likely “yes”.
Masks are most useful in stopping droplets from people who are actively shedding virus. This is probably the key driver for why in some mask wearing societies transmission is far lower.
Masks are clearly helpful in confined spaces and in the immediate radius of someone who coughed a few seconds ago. These conditions are what medical personnel face daily, hence they wear masks. Similarly people like Uber drivers or grocery clerks likely would benefit if well fitted and they don’t touch their face more.
Masks are maybe useful when around those who aren’t coughing (you make droplets when you breathe or talk) but generally that social distancing 6ft should cover that. Still, if you don’t touch your face more, it doesn’t hurt and might help a little.
Masks aren’t doing a whole lot walking around the street. As you and the article note if a mask makes you touch your face more, it could even be harmful.
In almost all of these cases, social distancing and hand washing is likely far more effective than masks. “Are masks useful?” is a complicated question, but as the article suggests, it’s probably, “a little, wash your hands, keep distant, that helps much more.”
I've never seen a study that says "wearing a mask can be bad if it causes you to touch your face more." I've seen loads of studies that say that masks work to substantially prevent transmission of viruses, including SARS, the closest cousin to the current threat.
At this point, articles that say that masks increase COVID transmission that do not cite legitimate scientific studies should be considered disinformation, and their authors should be considered potential threats to public health and shunned and/or ignored. We are dealing with a virus that does not respect lofty rhetoric and does not negotiate. It can only be defeated through clear thinking and science.
On the DIY mask issue: I've tried making a couple, based on online instructions. It's very obvious in use that without literally taping the filter material to my face, the airflow goes around the edges.
Anyone who's done any rural polypipe plumbing knows how hard it is to control water flow. Air is harder. None of the DY mask designs I've tried are worth a pinch of the proverbial.
Anyone here know of any better designs? I'm not fussed myself (live in the sticks, very easy to avoid people), but I'd like to make something useful for my elderly mother.
If you have a 3D printer or know someone with one, there are a couple designs that can be 3D printed or the 3D printed parts can be combined with commonly available materials:
Wearing a face mask is compulsory here in Czech Republic for a third week now and you can even get fined for not doing so. According to our government this is one of the most important measures introduced to slow down the spread of the virus. Our PM is even trying to convince other EU governments to do the same. People are advised not to touch their face and clean their mask by washing it in boiling water every day. It’s not too complicated and hopefully will be effective.
KN95 masks are available from China. Those are an excellent choice for the general population and do not affect the supply of N95 masks to medical personnel. More people need to step and and distribute.
The CDC is recommending KN95 for healthcare workers and I know firsthand of multiple people selling them to hospitals. (I'm bringing some in myself to resell, am very familiar with the market.)
Yes. I have been promoting this message nonstop for the past few days. I created https://www.maskssavelives.org/ to help promote the benefits of mask-wearing in reducing COVID-19' virality.
That's painful to read, it does not address the blatant lack of causality demonstrated in the FT chart with masks / no mask regions. You can't make that claim at all. If masks were that effective, SK and other countries wouldn't have engaged in their massive testing, quarantining programs at all.
>There are 2 main types of masks used to prevent respiratory infection: surgical masks, sometimes referred to as face masks, and respirators. These masks differ by the type and size of infectious particles they are able to filter. Face masks are used more commonly for respiratory viruses that spread via droplets, which travel short distances and are transmitted by cough or sneeze. Face masks often fit loosely, and prevent the wearer from spreading large sprays and droplets, as well as preventing hand-to-face contact. N95 respirators block 95% of airborne particles. They are tight fitting and prevent inhalation of smaller infectious particles that can spread through the air over long distances after an infected person coughs or sneezes
The difference right now is that everyone might be carrying a lethal pathogen that we have no treatments for.
This is a wrong and dangerous message and it needs to be stopped. Both things are true: a) health workers need masks and b) people should wear masks when they go out.
There are no masks available to the public now. Realistically if you don't already have a mask your only option is to make one, which is not hard. Go to YouTube and find a video. A couple layers of cotton can work and is much better than nothing, at stopping your droplets from spreading if you sneeze or cough.
If you already have a mask wear it when you go out. No health care worker wants your mask. Wear goggles too.
And yes masks help prevent respiratory infection which is why health care workers wear them.
Stop with the "you shouldn't be wearing one" nonsense. It is false and dangerous.
Is it okay if I use masks that I bought years ago? (N95 in my case.) As far as I'm aware there's no way a healthcare worker could get access to the masks I already have.
This. If you're wearing a mask, then there's a healthcare worker somewhere who you're preventing from wearing a mask. That healthcare worker is taking care of patients who definitely have the Cornavirus, and is getting up close to them while they're coughing. They need that mask more than you do.
And I don't mean this in an abstract way. There are numerous places accepting mask donations right now. If you have a mask, you should donate it. Stat.
A friend of mine is setting up a manufacturing line for masks here in NL. They're sourcing raw materials from abroad, where masks are interdicted but materials are not, and then go on to make the actual masks locally. Super interesting project and I'm proud of him for getting off his butt and making an actual difference here.
Before we do this, we have to establish a culture of wearing masks during flu season so that there is always enough stock when people "must" wear masks for public health reasons. Right now may not be the best time to tell people they must because that siphons masks from the first responders.
When better to establish that long term behavior when there is an immediate, credible threat? Even if it does slightly increase pressure on the medical mask supply (who will be prioritized with the certified masks, regardless), how many lives will this save in the next pandemic? Or every flu season, for that matter. It seems unrealistic to think Americans will start wearing masks everywhere after this has all blown over if they were not previously conditioned to do so.
If a mask can prevent one person from infecting others, it can prevent 16 people from being infected over the next two weeks, if you assume doubling every 3 days.
As the article says, "Don’t buy masks (or use new masks you might have at home) while there is a shortage for healthcare workers, especially not N95 respirators (which are difficult to use properly anyway). Make a mask at home. Skiers & snowboarders, wear your buffs or ski masks. Donate any unused masks or respirators you may have to healthcare workers."
And if you can't wear a mask for some reason, you should still be covering your face with something. Even a bandana is a lot better than wearing nothing at all.
Masks do protect the wearer! And you do not need an N95 mask to do this. Even a simple homemade mask offers some degree of protection. This[0] was a good explanation of both of these ideas.
tldr: There is reason to believe that large droplets, not the tiny droplets that N95s are designed to filter, are the primary threat, and any sort of physical barrier between those and your mouth/nose will help.
I see a lot of people saying that we shouldn't wear masks in order to preserve the supply for healthcare workers, but I think this is ridiculous. You
need a mask when you go out both to protect yourself and to protect others. A better message is, to preserve the supply for healthcare workers, make your own mask, or use a simple dust mask or a rave mask.
Very few viruses are true aerosol transmitted (measles is), it’s likely COVID is droplet based so coarse masks will help. Even with an N95, true aerosols can make it through, though obviously not 100% transmission (95 means block 95% of 0.3 micron particles, individual viruses are a factor of 2-3 smaller usually).
I think the path forward is clear (if there was enough supplies to go around): 1) Stay at home or 2) wear a face mask. If there was enough supply, I don't think we should argue with this. It's for everyone's safety. So let's ramp up supply and do either 1) or 2)
Question: is there a recommended way to clean a cotton mask or mask of other material? Does running it through the wash risk contaminating other clothes? Should I instead spray it down with alcohol or wet-and-zap it in the microwave for 30 sec, similar to sponge disinfecting?
Washing it in boiling water for 5 minutes should be enough but you should do it at least every day. This is what our government advise us here in Czech.
Don't see it linked in this thread yet, but it's worth noting Slate Star Codex looked at the literature and decided on a weak "yes" [0], assuming your use of a face mask isn't depriving a medical worker of one.
Exactly, it has no more weight than water cooler talk. In a number of aspects it exhibits wishful thinking that is counter-factual, especially in regard to home-made masks.
[+] [-] petilon|6 years ago|reply
And of course, you should wear a mask too -- to protect others.
Had we all worn masks right when this started (simple cloth masks would do) this virus would not have spread so much and so easily.
[+] [-] benjohnson|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bravura|6 years ago|reply
It includes a variety of evidence for masks, including for impromptu masks and their quality.
Some key points from my linked article:
* You should (like many doctors and care staff) re-use your good quality masks, and the article explains how. (e.g. put it in a breathable bag, like paper, date it, and wait four days)
* If you have a good mask, like an N95, wear a lower quality mask over it, to preserve re-use of the good quality mask.
* For good fit, the mask should not touch the lips.
[+] [-] wnissen|6 years ago|reply
One of the interesting side effects is that you can smell the ambient ozone when you take it off, since the respirator has been removing it. Don't be fooled, a typical suburban area reeks of ozone, but it's not perceptible because your nose ignores it as background.
[+] [-] entee|6 years ago|reply
Masks are most useful in stopping droplets from people who are actively shedding virus. This is probably the key driver for why in some mask wearing societies transmission is far lower.
Masks are clearly helpful in confined spaces and in the immediate radius of someone who coughed a few seconds ago. These conditions are what medical personnel face daily, hence they wear masks. Similarly people like Uber drivers or grocery clerks likely would benefit if well fitted and they don’t touch their face more.
Masks are maybe useful when around those who aren’t coughing (you make droplets when you breathe or talk) but generally that social distancing 6ft should cover that. Still, if you don’t touch your face more, it doesn’t hurt and might help a little.
Masks aren’t doing a whole lot walking around the street. As you and the article note if a mask makes you touch your face more, it could even be harmful.
In almost all of these cases, social distancing and hand washing is likely far more effective than masks. “Are masks useful?” is a complicated question, but as the article suggests, it’s probably, “a little, wash your hands, keep distant, that helps much more.”
[+] [-] cameldrv|6 years ago|reply
At this point, articles that say that masks increase COVID transmission that do not cite legitimate scientific studies should be considered disinformation, and their authors should be considered potential threats to public health and shunned and/or ignored. We are dealing with a virus that does not respect lofty rhetoric and does not negotiate. It can only be defeated through clear thinking and science.
[+] [-] crispinb|6 years ago|reply
Anyone who's done any rural polypipe plumbing knows how hard it is to control water flow. Air is harder. None of the DY mask designs I've tried are worth a pinch of the proverbial.
Anyone here know of any better designs? I'm not fussed myself (live in the sticks, very easy to avoid people), but I'd like to make something useful for my elderly mother.
[+] [-] m4rtink|6 years ago|reply
https://www.prusa3d.com/covid19/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2020/03/24/calling-all-...
https://onezero.medium.com/people-around-the-world-are-3d-pr...
https://www.dezeen.com/2020/03/29/creality-3d-printed-buckle...
https://3dprintingcenter.net/2020/03/19/scientists-from-the-...
https://rp95.cz/en/
[+] [-] SiNTEx|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jacob019|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ardit33|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ikeboy|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] pstrateman|6 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] starpilot|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] scythe|6 years ago|reply
- you don't know if you're infected
- if you are infected, even a terrible mask like a handkerchief reduces the risk that you'll spread to someone else
You should probably not try to obtain and wear a medical-grade mask if those are in short supply in your region.
Source: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2762694
>There are 2 main types of masks used to prevent respiratory infection: surgical masks, sometimes referred to as face masks, and respirators. These masks differ by the type and size of infectious particles they are able to filter. Face masks are used more commonly for respiratory viruses that spread via droplets, which travel short distances and are transmitted by cough or sneeze. Face masks often fit loosely, and prevent the wearer from spreading large sprays and droplets, as well as preventing hand-to-face contact. N95 respirators block 95% of airborne particles. They are tight fitting and prevent inhalation of smaller infectious particles that can spread through the air over long distances after an infected person coughs or sneezes
The difference right now is that everyone might be carrying a lethal pathogen that we have no treatments for.
[+] [-] jandrese|6 years ago|reply
To be fair the article does suggest making your own and then helpfully links to this [1] dead website.
[1] https://www.consumer.org.hk/ws_en/news/specials/2020/mask-di...
Edit: fixed a typo
[+] [-] Lukman|6 years ago|reply
There are no masks available to the public now. Realistically if you don't already have a mask your only option is to make one, which is not hard. Go to YouTube and find a video. A couple layers of cotton can work and is much better than nothing, at stopping your droplets from spreading if you sneeze or cough.
If you already have a mask wear it when you go out. No health care worker wants your mask. Wear goggles too.
And yes masks help prevent respiratory infection which is why health care workers wear them.
Stop with the "you shouldn't be wearing one" nonsense. It is false and dangerous.
[+] [-] btrettel|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Wowfunhappy|6 years ago|reply
And I don't mean this in an abstract way. There are numerous places accepting mask donations right now. If you have a mask, you should donate it. Stat.
[+] [-] little_dormouse|6 years ago|reply
see: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/30/czechs-get-to-...
[+] [-] bagels|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] miles|6 years ago|reply
It's been hugged to death.
Here is a cached copy:
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:oC-tOJ...
and here is a direct link to the embedded video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY-29VBkGmw
[+] [-] starpilot|6 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] xkapastel|6 years ago|reply
tldr: There is reason to believe that large droplets, not the tiny droplets that N95s are designed to filter, are the primary threat, and any sort of physical barrier between those and your mouth/nose will help.
I see a lot of people saying that we shouldn't wear masks in order to preserve the supply for healthcare workers, but I think this is ridiculous. You need a mask when you go out both to protect yourself and to protect others. A better message is, to preserve the supply for healthcare workers, make your own mask, or use a simple dust mask or a rave mask.
[0]: https://medium.com/@Cancerwarrior/covid-19-why-we-should-all...
[+] [-] entee|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] huangc10|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] seltzered_|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Ancalagon|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] SiNTEx|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] savanaly|6 years ago|reply
[0] https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/03/23/face-masks-much-more-t...
[+] [-] jcroll|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ProAm|6 years ago|reply
Also this blog is Monday morning arm chair medical advice from a blogger, a respectable blogger, but a blogger nonetheless.
[+] [-] angry_octet|6 years ago|reply