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I recently co-authored a scientific commentary on this, ask me anything! "Promoting simple do-it-yourself masks: an urgent intervention for COVID-19 mitigation

I recently co-authored a scientific commentary on this, ask me anything! "Promoting simple do-it-yourself masks: an urgent intervention for COVID-19 mitigation" (Svara et al. 2020) Pre-print available at https://link.medium.com/LY7RRNr2X4 https://link.medium.com/LY7RRNr2X4 Summary: "We demonstrate that widespread use of masks by the general population could be an effective strategy for slowing down the spread of COVID-19. Since surgical masks might not become available in sufficient numbers quickly enough for general use and sufficient compliance with wearing surgical masks might not be possible everywhere, we argue that simple do-it-yourself designs or commercially available cloth masks could reduce the spread of infection at minimal costs to society."

codazoda 7y ago
Here's a mask pattern and some additional information from Forbes. It also links to the CDC's comment. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2020/03/20/calling-all-people-who-sew-and-make-you-can-help-solve-2020-n95-type-mask-shortage/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2020/03/20/calling-all-... > In settings where facemasks are not available, HCP might use homemade masks (e.g., bandana, scarf) for care of patients with COVID-19 as a last resort. However, homemade masks are not considered PPE, since their capability to protect HCP is unknown. Caution should be exercised when considering this option. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/face-masks.html#crisis-capacity https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/f... This is because the medical industry needs proven methods, and they still suggest homemade masks as a last resort. Maybe we should all be wearing homemade masks in public.
mcsb4 7y ago
The biggest challenge is to overcome the mental block of decades of onetime use masks that have to be disposed in incinerators and be produced by ISO 9001 certified medical factories. During world war 2 it was normal to use reusable cotton masks. They just need to be put into boiling water for a few minutes to kill sars-cov-2 at 100%. You should try to get into touch with C. Drosten from Charité hospital Berlin. He recently stated in an interview that self-made masks could have a certain value, so he is not totally averse to this concept and Spahn [1] will listen to him. China has been promoting it, now czech republic is doing it. If Germany also starts promoting it, that will help immensely. The same goes for the hand sanitizer, any +70% alcohol/ethanol will do. No need to be from a factory with medical certifications. I am in France, there is a total lock down here but police still wears no masks and so does nobody else. Super markets have no hand sanitizer at the entrance so the virus will continue to spread. Masks cost nothing compared to the economic damage of the shut down. [1] German minister of health Edit: For those downvoting me, I'd sincerely be interested to hear your arguments.
- konamicode 7y ago
  > They just need to be put into boiling water for a few minutes to kill sars-cov-2 at 100%. I was looking for information on (high) heat killing viruses such as sars-cov-2. Are you able to point to a reliable source on this?
  - chmod775 7y ago
    > I was looking for information on (high) killing viruses They're not really alive, so they can't be killed. But you can destroy vital parts of them and make them unable to reproduce. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denaturation_%28biochemistry%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denaturation_%28biochemistry%2...
    - ravenstine 7y ago
      Respectfully, I wish people would stop popping into discussions about coronavirus to say "Actually, ...". Most educated people know that viruses aren't alive in the traditional sense. People who aren't as educated simply don't care, and I don't blame them. Using the more scientifically precise term helps nobody, except scientists, in this situation. Should software engineers stop using the word "kill" in POSIX-land because CPU processes aren't really "alive"? Give me a break.
      - chmod775 7y ago
        > Respectfully, I wish people would stop popping into discussions about coronavirus to say "Actually, ...". I answered his question while also correcting a minor mistake. Also I'm not sure what you're quoting there. > Most educated people know that viruses aren't alive in the traditional sense. People who aren't as educated simply don't care, and I don't blame them. Are you trying to insult your grandparent? Most people on HN aren't willfully ignorant and are quite open to new knowledge.
        deleted 7y ago
        [deleted]
edelcombi 7y ago
I've been promoting this idea as well. https://www.facebook.com/edelsmurf/posts/10157054028823201 https://www.facebook.com/edelsmurf/posts/10157054028823201 I've sent pleas to several local and national government agencies and health directors, but it's unlikely that such e-mails will be read, so information needs to be disseminated another way. The fact that the western world hasn't called for widespread use of even cloth masks is unconscionable. Presume you're already infected to protect others.

codazoda 7y ago

Here's a mask pattern and some additional information from Forbes. It also links to the CDC's comment. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2020/03/20/calling-all-people-who-sew-and-make-you-can-help-solve-2020-n95-type-mask-shortage/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2020/03/20/calling-all-... > In settings where facemasks are not available, HCP might use homemade masks (e.g., bandana, scarf) for care of patients with COVID-19 as a last resort. However, homemade masks are not considered PPE, since their capability to protect HCP is unknown. Caution should be exercised when considering this option. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/face-masks.html#crisis-capacity https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/f... This is because the medical industry needs proven methods, and they still suggest homemade masks as a last resort. Maybe we should all be wearing homemade masks in public.

mcsb4 7y ago

The biggest challenge is to overcome the mental block of decades of onetime use masks that have to be disposed in incinerators and be produced by ISO 9001 certified medical factories. During world war 2 it was normal to use reusable cotton masks. They just need to be put into boiling water for a few minutes to kill sars-cov-2 at 100%. You should try to get into touch with C. Drosten from Charité hospital Berlin. He recently stated in an interview that self-made masks could have a certain value, so he is not totally averse to this concept and Spahn [1] will listen to him. China has been promoting it, now czech republic is doing it. If Germany also starts promoting it, that will help immensely. The same goes for the hand sanitizer, any +70% alcohol/ethanol will do. No need to be from a factory with medical certifications. I am in France, there is a total lock down here but police still wears no masks and so does nobody else. Super markets have no hand sanitizer at the entrance so the virus will continue to spread. Masks cost nothing compared to the economic damage of the shut down. [1] German minister of health Edit: For those downvoting me, I'd sincerely be interested to hear your arguments.

konamicode 7y ago
> They just need to be put into boiling water for a few minutes to kill sars-cov-2 at 100%. I was looking for information on (high) heat killing viruses such as sars-cov-2. Are you able to point to a reliable source on this?
- chmod775 7y ago
  > I was looking for information on (high) killing viruses They're not really alive, so they can't be killed. But you can destroy vital parts of them and make them unable to reproduce. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denaturation_%28biochemistry%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denaturation_%28biochemistry%2...
  - ravenstine 7y ago
    Respectfully, I wish people would stop popping into discussions about coronavirus to say "Actually, ...". Most educated people know that viruses aren't alive in the traditional sense. People who aren't as educated simply don't care, and I don't blame them. Using the more scientifically precise term helps nobody, except scientists, in this situation. Should software engineers stop using the word "kill" in POSIX-land because CPU processes aren't really "alive"? Give me a break.
    - chmod775 7y ago
      > Respectfully, I wish people would stop popping into discussions about coronavirus to say "Actually, ...". I answered his question while also correcting a minor mistake. Also I'm not sure what you're quoting there. > Most educated people know that viruses aren't alive in the traditional sense. People who aren't as educated simply don't care, and I don't blame them. Are you trying to insult your grandparent? Most people on HN aren't willfully ignorant and are quite open to new knowledge.
      - deleted 7y ago
        [deleted]

edelcombi 7y ago

I've been promoting this idea as well. https://www.facebook.com/edelsmurf/posts/10157054028823201 https://www.facebook.com/edelsmurf/posts/10157054028823201 I've sent pleas to several local and national government agencies and health directors, but it's unlikely that such e-mails will be read, so information needs to be disseminated another way. The fact that the western world hasn't called for widespread use of even cloth masks is unconscionable. Presume you're already infected to protect others.