Should Everyone Wear Masks?

SunPa · Mar 31, 2020

Rihana said: ↑

Exactly. Mixing up the "shortage of masks" with "masks are not effective" was irresponsible.
Click to expand...

Beg to disagree . Reserving the masks for most effective use aka greater good is taking the tough decision . Exposed medical staff means , greater spread to patients and also lesser number of available medical staff.

What I dont understand is why US hospitals did not have a stockpile for PPEs for the medical staff for atleast 60 days? If you cant protect your employees even ..., sigh!

Rihana said: ↑

I can't bring myself to use or buy a mask that can be used by a health professional. That is not right.
Click to expand...

I feel guilty too. We always have a good stock of N95 s because of the "haze" that can hit us suddenly.
I had asked a friend visiting to get a box of N95s from US in first week of feb.
I wish I could send it to a hospital in NY now.

mangaii · Mar 31, 2020

@SinghManisha The discussion was about reusable cloth mask. No body is complaining about lack of mask . This is very useful discussion. Even if you go once a month you still have chance to contact virus. No it is not true you need to be fitted. In construction zones these masks are widely used.

mangaii · Mar 31, 2020

@Rihana and @MalStrom completely agree
@SunPa N95 does have small plastic vent . Actually the construction is really good.I got mine during California wild fire .It is actually well made masks. I couldn't handle it.

Rihana · Mar 31, 2020

Rihana said: ↑

Exactly. Mixing up the "shortage of masks" with "masks are not effective" was irresponsible.
Click to expand...

SunPa said: ↑

Beg to disagree . Reserving the masks for most effective use aka greater good is taking the tough decision . Exposed medical staff means , greater spread to patients and also lesser number of available medical staff.
Click to expand...

If "masks are not effective" turns out to be wrong information and it was put out there to avoid people stockpiling masks, I will not trust future warnings and suggestions from those sources.

Use any authoritarian measures needed to avoid the stockpiling, but do not issue misleading information. I don't think giving the public wrong information counts as a "tough decision" taken for the greater good.

Let's say the stockpiling was less because of the misinformation issued to the public. As the dust on this one settles, people will realize they were fooled. Come next time, they won't follow guidelines from these sources that misled them (even if for a good cause, even if to protect doctors/nurses who are needed to treat sick people).

mangaii · Mar 31, 2020

Worst case if we have to visit hospital they will not give masks . One thing I have learnt is never trust single information and do research on your own . Before booking tickets to India I used to read who twitter handle and they specifically said china confirmed there is no human to human transmission. That was so true

Urmila · Mar 31, 2020

startinganew said: ↑

Yes, please.

I have been asking my friends and family to wear masks when going in public even though WHO/Indian+US Government authorities are recommending no need to.

The reasons given by these authorities are:
1. No one wears them correctly
2. It gives a false sense of security
3. We will be taking life-saving masks from those who need them the most. (Doctors/nurses/public service personnel)
4. Fake/DIY masks are not effective

The solution for these problems is not to recommend people not to wear masks!!

Instead each of these issues should be handled, probably like this?

1. No one wears them correctly
> Educate people with videos and use media like TV/whatsapp to send government or local hospital sourced videos on how to wear reusable masks. Teach folks how to sanitize them at the end of public outing with soap/water/bleach solution.

2. It gives a false sense of security

> Yes again mass education of all. Mask wearing along with stay at home + physical distancing + hand washing + sanitizing all products coming in to home is what will work. Wearing mask does not replace any of the other precautions - even staying 1.5 metres from all.

3. We will be taking life-saving masks from those who need them the most. (Doctors/nurses/public service personnel)

> Teach people how to make DIY mask with govt approved patterns and locally available filters. Make it clear to them that common man should not hoard N95s and surgical masks.

4. DIY/fake masks are not effective:
> Research has clearly shown that respiratory droplets come not only from coughing or sneezing - just talking produces sufficient droplets to infect others. I have read that extensive studies have been conducted in labs on the efficacy of various types of DIY masks - given the global shortage of the N95 mask. And I have read that while surgical masks reduce exposure to corona-virus like particles by 97%, a simple 2 layer mask made from a thick cotton-T shirt can reduce by 50%. And this to me is a significant number!

Previously and many people even now believe - infection happens only from infected people showing symptoms. Research has now shown that even fully healthy people - who may be

1. Pre-symptomatic (In their bodies, the virus is in incubation during the first 2 days to 14 days)
2. Asymptomatic (their body does not and will no show symptoms at all even after 14 days)
3. Mild symptoms (just aches, no cough or fever)

All the above folks can also pass on the infection.

Given this critical point ^^^ - it is most important for all of us to wear masks when we head out. So we don’t pass on the infection to others or getting it from others.

In the last fews day, I have been glad that newspaper articles are beginning to acknowledge the fact that governments are possibly recommending this incorrectly - only to stop panic/alarm among the masses, but we should go ahead and wear masks to help flatten the curve however much as possible

COVID-19: WHY WE SHOULD ALL WEAR MASKS — THERE IS NEW SCIENTIFIC RATIONALE
Masks Save Lives - COVID-19
More Americans Should Probably Wear Masks for Protection
Click to expand...

Wear them if you have them. Something is better than nothing.
It's Time to Face Facts, America: Masks Work

startinganew · Mar 31, 2020

@SinghManisha Manisha, @SunPa

I love it when you ladies reply to a post - so thank you.

Yes, you are right - what you are describing has been most of our thought process for the last few weeks.

But my concern is about the once-a-week or even once-in-two weeks trips to pharmacy/Indian store/supermarket that we are forced to go to - since most delivery services are getting overloaded.

Back home in India, my relatives need to go out even more frequently to get fresh veggies/milk/bread once in a couple of days or once in a few days. In the US, walks in the neighborhood are still permitted.

It is during these forays into the pubic - how do we protect ourselves? The virus has been shown to be suspended in air and be viable for 3 hours. How can we be sure that no one in our vicinity has talked/sneezed/coughed during the last 3 hours? We are expecting in good faith that people who are sick will stay home. But if you are the head of your household, you have elderly parents, or kids at home - the person will continue to come to the grocery store even when mildly sick - in order to feed their family - in that case for such an adult - our hope is that they will wear a mask to protect us and our family - but what if they don’t even know that they are sick or pre-symptomatic? So the possible solution to me (and to a growing minority now) is - in good faith and for greater common good - why don’t we all wear DIY good-quality masks (not just any mask) when we are in public.

Also even if we try maintain 6 feet distance - which I don’t see happening in small Indian stores where most people can maintain only 3 ft or so. Also when you are the checkout counter, we are 2 feet distance of the grocery store attendant in the best case. Some counter folks are wearing masks - but we need to trust their steady source of sanitized masks and their ability to use the mask well. It is just much easier if we just wear the mask ourself to keep us safe.

In cities in US, access to masks is not like the Far East countries - very few our supermarket service personnel are wearing masks and gloves. Their employers are asking them NOT to specifically - because of the mis-branding in US that only he “sick” should wear masks.

Also Sunpa: Cloth masks are still only picking up in the US and India for normal folks. For example - they are not being sold anywhere in my big city which has a huge number of cases already. One has to make it themselves.

I am hoping all of us will look in to them and start making them in their homes for our own use and also share with our circles.

startinganew · Mar 31, 2020

I was glad to see this article in a tech magazine:
It's Time to Face Facts, America: Masks Work

Hopefully it will gather the eyes of my colleagues and friends in the tech sector.

startinganew · Mar 31, 2020

One country makes masks compulsory for all in supermarkets:
Austria to make basic face masks compulsory in supermarkets

startinganew · Mar 31, 2020

"Olson" mask is also the name of a pattern that I keep hearing in the maker/seamstress groups - who are making masks for donation to hospitals. This is a last resort for nurses and health care workers. But maybe it could be the common man's mask?