5 ms·

I'm pretty sure cotton masks offer little to no protection. What you need is a n95 respirator.

by eloff 7y ago

christkv 7y ago
It will help if everyone wears it. The asymptotic infected will reduce their spread as it will stop them spreading it.
- eloff 7y ago
  That's a bit of a pipe dream. It's better for people to just stay at home as much as possible. Everyone can do that regardless of the availability of masks.
  - tcbawo 7y ago
    People need to stay home, but they also need to go to the grocery store, bank, or other essential activities. When they do, they should be wearing a mask.
    - eloff 7y ago
      I think we know that's just not going to happen in general. It's been impossible to buy masks for weeks.
      - deleted 7y ago
        [deleted]
      - m4rtink 7y ago
        You can make your own from a piece of clothe - there are thousands of people doing just that all over Europe, making masks for themselves, their family and friends.
      - barry-cotter 7y ago
        A tea towel/dish cloth mask catches 70% of virus sized, a vacuum cleaner bag 85% particles as against 90% for surgical masks. Professional and Home-Made Face Masks Reduce Exposure to Respiratory Infections among the General Population https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2440799/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2440799/
- m4rtink 7y ago
  This is the main reason some conuntries, such as the Czech Republic, made masks mandatory in public. Also if you are protecting others from your ilness, a sinpler home made mask is enough to greetly limit possible spread.
tcbawo 7y ago
What hospitals need are N95 respirators and surgical masks. A family member of mine is a doctor at a large hospital system. They have a mask shortage and have been encouraged to use scarves and t-shirts if necessary. Plain cotton masks would offer considerable benefits if everybody began wearing them in public. Countries in Asia, where it is common for everyone to wear masks have a lower R0 value.
- dehrmann 7y ago
  > Plain cotton masks would offer considerable benefits if everybody began wearing them in public This goes against the current WHO recommendation > If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection.
  - tcbawo 7y ago
    Their guidance does not seem to suggest that people should not wear masks in public, nor does it comment on the effectiveness of doing so. From their site: If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection. Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing. Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water. If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it properly. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2...
  - notatoad 7y ago
    The WHO recommendations are meant to preserve a limited supply of masks for where they are needed most. It's not because masks are ineffective
  - 0xcde4c3db 7y ago
    I think people talk past each other a lot on this issue because there's a conflation of population-level versus individual-level decision-making and benefits. The recommendation that you cite is worded for individuals; population-level benefits are simply out of scope.

I'm pretty sure cotton masks offer little to no protection. What you need is a n95 respirator.

by eloff 7y ago

I'm pretty sure cotton masks offer little to no protection. What you need is a n95 respirator.

christkv 7y ago

It will help if everyone wears it. The asymptotic infected will reduce their spread as it will stop them spreading it.

eloff 7y ago
That's a bit of a pipe dream. It's better for people to just stay at home as much as possible. Everyone can do that regardless of the availability of masks.
- tcbawo 7y ago
  People need to stay home, but they also need to go to the grocery store, bank, or other essential activities. When they do, they should be wearing a mask.
  - eloff 7y ago
    I think we know that's just not going to happen in general. It's been impossible to buy masks for weeks.
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
    - m4rtink 7y ago
      You can make your own from a piece of clothe - there are thousands of people doing just that all over Europe, making masks for themselves, their family and friends.
    - barry-cotter 7y ago
      A tea towel/dish cloth mask catches 70% of virus sized, a vacuum cleaner bag 85% particles as against 90% for surgical masks. Professional and Home-Made Face Masks Reduce Exposure to Respiratory Infections among the General Population https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2440799/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2440799/
m4rtink 7y ago
This is the main reason some conuntries, such as the Czech Republic, made masks mandatory in public. Also if you are protecting others from your ilness, a sinpler home made mask is enough to greetly limit possible spread.

tcbawo 7y ago

What hospitals need are N95 respirators and surgical masks. A family member of mine is a doctor at a large hospital system. They have a mask shortage and have been encouraged to use scarves and t-shirts if necessary. Plain cotton masks would offer considerable benefits if everybody began wearing them in public. Countries in Asia, where it is common for everyone to wear masks have a lower R0 value.

dehrmann 7y ago
> Plain cotton masks would offer considerable benefits if everybody began wearing them in public This goes against the current WHO recommendation > If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection.
- tcbawo 7y ago
  Their guidance does not seem to suggest that people should not wear masks in public, nor does it comment on the effectiveness of doing so. From their site: If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection. Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing. Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water. If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it properly. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2...
- notatoad 7y ago
  The WHO recommendations are meant to preserve a limited supply of masks for where they are needed most. It's not because masks are ineffective
- 0xcde4c3db 7y ago
  I think people talk past each other a lot on this issue because there's a conflation of population-level versus individual-level decision-making and benefits. The recommendation that you cite is worded for individuals; population-level benefits are simply out of scope.