3 ms·
> Wearing masks is a trainable skill. None of us know how to use condoms initially either, yet literally millions of Americans use them effectively yearly. Not
by ardy42 7y ago
> Wearing masks is a trainable skill. None of us know how to use condoms initially either, yet literally millions of Americans use them effectively yearly.
Not really. Do you have a qualitative fit test handy? Because you need to do a fit test with one to figure out if an N95 you chose actually works properly, even if you're wearing it properly. Healthcare workers are tested, and the kits cost $200 or more.
https://www.medline.com/jump/product/x/Z05-PF07344 https://www.medline.com/jump/product/x/Z05-PF07344
https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Qualitative-Fit-Test-Apparatus-FT-30-Bitter-1-EA-Case/?N=5002385+3294795973&rt=rud https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-...
> [Surgical] Masks don’t have to be worn with perfect correctness to produce an effect in aggregate. If mask usage was even 30% effective, this would drop R0 by roughly as much, which is a big freaking deal.
I think that's why they ended up changing the recommendation.
- ashtonkem 7y agoAnd that’s a really good argument for surgical masks and not N95s; N95s could be used by the public, but given the shortages and the lack of fit tests any gains of N95 over surgical masks, if they exist, are not worth the increased cost and shortage of N95 masks for health care professionals. The problem is that this isn’t the nuance that the Surgeon General or the CDC originally went with. His argument was literally “You can increase your risk of getting it by wearing a mask if you are not a health care provider”, and “STOP BUYING MASKS”, neither of which distinguishes between N95s, surgical masks, and cloth masks.