The New York Times and Washington Post have now come around to a place I advocated for here on Medium last week: We must always all be wearing masks. Not just health care workers, but ALL of us. Every time we go out in public.
Why?
Because they work.
Analysis from the SARS outbreak in 2003 shows that washing palms 10+ times each day was 55% effective in stopping virus transmission; wearing a masks was really more effective, reducing transmission by about 68%.
Combining multiple forms of protection — hand washing, mask wearing, gloves, and one other layer of outerwear (gowning) — was ninety one% effective.
Read that once more: 91% effective at stopping virus transmission.
COVID-19 and SARS are comparable types of viruses (coronaviruses), and it is sensible that what works to stop transmission for one will work to stop transmission of the other.
Masks work, first, because they are a physical barrier to whatever’s riding along on that air you’re breathing or moving through. Right here’s a chart showing the relative barrier effectiveness for various materials:
Secondly, they work because they preserve you from touching your face all day long. The mask makes you more self-aware of the fact that you’re not supposed to the touch your face- specifically, your mouth, nostril, and eyes, and the areas around them- and should you by chance do, you’ll contact the mask, not your skin directly.
Third, the expertise of other nations who mask show that masks work in the real world. In the words of Jeremy Howard, researcher and Masks4All activist, explaining a chart in his current Youtube video showing how some nations have efficiently “flattened the curve” on new infections: “If you have a look at all of the nations which have flat curves, they are international locations the place masks-wearing is extremely regular, and NOT wearing a masks in places like public transport can be considered anti-social.” He notes that the Czech Republic went from zero mask usage to 100% in 10 days, and in the process they halted the growth of new covid-19 cases. The Czechs made their own masks- the government didn’t give them out.
When you still need to be persuaded, check out this Chinese study of a neighborhood outbreak case on January 22 throughout the peak Lunar New Year travel season. A sick person on the bus who did not interact with anyone spread the virus to 7 others, some of whom had been seated much more than 6 ft away. Two new passengers caught the virus half-hour after the original sick individual had left the bus. NONE OF THE PEOPLE WEARING MASKS WERE INFECTED. Read the article, it’s very detailed, with a schematic of exactly where people had been sitting on the bus.
So let’s say you’re convinced, and now you’re thinking of some type of face covering. What are your options?
First, please don’t purchase masks commercially, if by some miracle you might discover them now. Commercially made PPE ought to be reserved for medical personnel at this time. Sadly, the scarcity of commercially made PPE, and the lack of foresight that caused us to be in such a position of scarcity, is probably why we initially received this messaging of “Masks don’t work!” They do, folks just didn’t want you to comprehend it for a while, to keep away from a run on masks. Think of the empty cabinets in supermarkets across America the place toilet paper used to live, and you perceive why.
The simplest thing you can do to mask NOW are to make use of materials around the house. Get inventive; anything that covers the mouth and nose and stays in place will work.
While it’s best if the masks fits well and there are no gaps between your face and the outside air, don’t surrender in your homemade masks should you can’t achieve that. Any face covering will hold you from touching the skin round your nostril and mouth directly, which might transform an important mechanism by which masks block virus transmission. Should you inadvertently touch your face while you’re wearing a mask, you’ll just contact the masks, not your skin.
You’ll be able to try to form your face covering utilizing pipe cleaners or opened-up rubber-coated paper clips within the part that goes over your nostril to make a tighter match — experiment. Crucial thing is that you just wash your hands, put in your face covering, and go out of the house protected.
If you have any queries regarding the place and how to use 3m respirators, you can get in touch with us at our web site.