Analysis regarding masks

[Liziz]

I think effectively wearing a mask will absolutely help if you need to be out in public. It decreases your risk of contracting the disease, and also reduces the risk of you spreading it, if you're contagious and don't know it. I also think if there were to be a suggested strategy people would need to be trained how to wear them correctly. I had to to to the grocery store this morning and was astounded to see some of the ways people were wearing/touching their masks....if done wrong it definitely could increase, instead of decrease, your risk.

In a situation where there are not enough masks to go around, I want the front line responders to be the one with access to the masks. I think some of the suggestions against the general public wearing masks are aimed at ensuring the supply is there for those who are on the front lines right now, since we absolutely do not have enough supply. If people had been told several weeks ago to start wearing masks, it would be even harder to find them today. As someone who has several loved ones in healthcare, I'm beyond furious about that fact. I have one healthcare worker family member who has been told "you're essential, you must come to work" and at the same time "you aren't allowed to have a mask" (and those who do at her hospital are allowed only one per shift).

[georgiegirl]

I’ve been wearing a mask when I’ve been out grocery shopping (twice). The CDC doesn’t to encourage mask wearing because then people would hoard them and healthcare workers wouldn’t be able to get them. Homemade masks (or even a scarf) are infinitely better than nothing.


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[mikala]

I've seen a lot of commentary about how wearing a mask incorrectly is worse than none at all. Can anyone elaborate? What's the correct way and what are the common mistakes? I'm sewing a few for our vet clinic and other local folks that want them and might as well sew ones for me and DH too.

[dogmom]

For example, here is our instructional video of how to put on a tie surgical mask. It walks you thought the steps and how to be clean doing it.
https://youtu.be/Ck0EtEdp8vw
We also have other videos for other PPE (personal protection equipment)

Downside of PPE:
In the hospital it can give a false sense of security, since PPE is to also stop the SPREAD of disease to other patients. People have gloves feel protected because they are wearing gloves, they think “I’m Safe” and let their guard down of what they are touching, dirty to clean, etc. I hate it when I see people outside of hospitals wearing gloves because I know they have touched a hundred things and now touching other stuff, and probably their faces.

Masks are hard to fit properly and need to be monitored. I don’t see them on correctly at times in the hospital, forget about it on the outside world. People keep popping their n95 masks on and off, touching the outside of the mask then the inside. So know you have just transferred the stuff from the outside to the inside and going to be breathing that in the next time you wear it? I think the only advantage is making sure you don’t cough on me. It doesn’t protect you, but others.

[basil]

Masks don’t protect the wearer, at least surgical masks. They protect your germs from getting out when you cough or sneeze.

So yeah, if everyone wore a mask, there would be less coronavirus floating around the grocery store.

[essnce629]

Masks don’t protect the wearer, at least surgical masks. They protect your germs from getting out when you cough or sneeze.

So yeah, if everyone wore a mask, there would be less coronavirus floating around the grocery store.

People in Japan and Vietnam are also ones that routinely wear masks (the Japanese when they're sick and the Vietnamese for pollution reasons) and they're rates of the virus are really low. My BIL lives in Vietnam and the government mandated the wearing of masks in public spaces weeks ago. In many Asian countries it's the norm to wear a mask when you're sick to protect others from getting sick.

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[twowhat?]

I agree. Isn’t this the job of the World Health Organization?

The problem is that no one seems to be able to implement the WHO and CDC recommendations consistently across the US. Compare that to the draconian measures in China and other countries. If we could get everyone in the US to follow the recommendations, we might not be in this pickle or it wouldn't be quite so bad. But then there are the arguments about the economy, etc. Yes, the economy suffers greatly (and even though the economy is taking a hit, we're still not doing the best possible job to control this!). I agree with the PP who (maybe on another thread?) said that if we don't get a handle on the health crisis, the economy would crumble anyway.

[elbenn]

Masks don’t protect the wearer, at least surgical masks. They protect your germs from getting out when you cough or sneeze.

So yeah, if everyone wore a mask, there would be less coronavirus floating around the grocery store.

Interesting. I didn't know that. I thought that masks protected the wearer and that's why so many in Japan wear them.

From what I've read, masks are effective and it was a mistake for our media (or was it government?) to tell people that they shouldn't wear masks because they would do more harm than good because people would constantly be adjusting them. There is a rumor on Twitter that the CDC might recommend everyone wear masks (but that's not an official thing--just some tweets about it).

[elbenn]

I agree. Isn’t this the job of the World Health Organization?

The WHO has not handled this pandemic well considering it told people in January that the coronavirus was not transmissible by humans even though Taiwan told them they had evidence it was. It seems that the WHO is very much in alignment with China--there is a video going around on Twitter of a doctor from the WHO being questioned by a Taiwanese reporter and he will not even respond to questions of how Taiwan handled the pandemic other than grouping them in with China. It was a very strange interview because it seemed like he was very worried about upsetting China and so wouldn't answer the questions.

[pinkmomagain]

I just watched an excellent video by a NYC doctor. Masks are very good to remind you not to touch your face and he recommended wearing them when you go to the grocery store for that purpose. He even said that a bandana or homemade mask would be good for this.

ETA video link: https://vimeo.com/399733860?ref=fb-share