Joined Dec 2008
D3: Woopster
Forum Thread
Why face masks ARE effective in limiting the spread of viruses.
March 20, 2020 at
01:02 AM
I wondered why the CDC doesn't recommend face masks be used by the general public. So, I did a little research.
This report [nih.gov] indicates an efficacy rate of 30% to 50% for N95 face masks in normal use, within the assumptions and parameters of the study.
That doesn't mean using face masks will safeguard the user 30% to 50% of the time. It just means that under this particular test protocol, it provided some protection against airborne inhalation.
This other study [nih.gov] says that "... the effectiveness of surgical masks and N95 masks in blocking the transmission of SARS are 68% and 91%, respectively." Meaning that the person who is sick is much less likely to trasmit the disease by airborne particles if he or she is wearing a mask.
Nations that have the coronavirus under control now (China and Taiwan) have promoted the use of face masks by the general public as one of their cornerstones for epidemiological response.
So, why is it that the use of face masks within the U.S. is officially discouraged?
In a word: supply. With a limited supply of face masks on hand, the best and highest use for the face masks are for the health professionals and for the confirmed sick.
If there was an adequate supply of face masks, I believe the policy would be to encourage everyone to use a face mask. NOT because it protects the individual (maybe it does, maybe it doesn't). But because it significantly cuts down on the transmission from those that are sick (including silent carriers).
Think about it. Wouldn't you feel more comfortable if that person who just coughed or sneezed had been wearing a face mask?
* * * * *
The same can be said for testing. With a limited supply of tests, only those fitting a tight protocol get tested.
If there was an adequate supply of tests, everyone would be encouraged to get tested. The baseline information from such broad testing would be invaluable in mapping out a strategy for control of the pandemic.
This report [nih.gov] indicates an efficacy rate of 30% to 50% for N95 face masks in normal use, within the assumptions and parameters of the study.
That doesn't mean using face masks will safeguard the user 30% to 50% of the time. It just means that under this particular test protocol, it provided some protection against airborne inhalation.
This other study [nih.gov] says that "... the effectiveness of surgical masks and N95 masks in blocking the transmission of SARS are 68% and 91%, respectively." Meaning that the person who is sick is much less likely to trasmit the disease by airborne particles if he or she is wearing a mask.
Nations that have the coronavirus under control now (China and Taiwan) have promoted the use of face masks by the general public as one of their cornerstones for epidemiological response.
So, why is it that the use of face masks within the U.S. is officially discouraged?
In a word: supply. With a limited supply of face masks on hand, the best and highest use for the face masks are for the health professionals and for the confirmed sick.
If there was an adequate supply of face masks, I believe the policy would be to encourage everyone to use a face mask. NOT because it protects the individual (maybe it does, maybe it doesn't). But because it significantly cuts down on the transmission from those that are sick (including silent carriers).
Think about it. Wouldn't you feel more comfortable if that person who just coughed or sneezed had been wearing a face mask?
* * * * *
The same can be said for testing. With a limited supply of tests, only those fitting a tight protocol get tested.
If there was an adequate supply of tests, everyone would be encouraged to get tested. The baseline information from such broad testing would be invaluable in mapping out a strategy for control of the pandemic.
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The guy also had a full beard. So yeah I don't think he quite got the memo.
But if we do have enough face mask for everyone, here are the additional points of why everyone should wear face mask from this article....
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/1...masks.html
Many people also wash their hands wrong, but we don't respond to that by telling them not to bother. Instead, we provide instructions;
.....
Fifth, places like Hong Kong and Taiwan that jumped to action early with social distancing and universal mask wearing have the pandemic under much greater control, despite having significant travel from mainland China. Hong Kong health officials credit universal mask wearing as part of the solution and recommend universal mask wearing. In fact, Taiwan responded to the coronavirus by immediately ramping up mask production.
Sixth, masks are an important signal that it's not business as usual as well as an act of solidarity. Pandemics require us to change our behavior — our socialization, hygiene, work and more — collectively, and knowing our fellow citizens are on board is important for all efforts.
.....
Research shows that during disasters, people can show strikingly altruistic behavior, but interventions by authorities can backfire if they fuel mistrust or treat the public as an adversary rather than people who will step up if treated with respect. Given that even homemade masks may work better than no masks, wearing them might be something to direct people to do while they stay at home more, as we all should.
....
Petition for Whitehouse to ask everyone, patients and healthcare employees, to wear a mask all the time in any healthcare settings
People here just don't normally wear them so they don't make enough
In Asian you get arrested for going outside without a mask while in the west they are telling you not to wear masks lol
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The government shouldn't tell people not to wear masks when it is is proven to help stop infections, especially for respiratory, droplet viruses.
In China, Taiwan, South Korea, virtually everyone gets masks from the Government, in S. Korea people can get masks from the post office etc. and each person can get 5 masks a week.
The government shouldn't tell people not to wear masks when it is is proven to help stop infections, especially for respiratory, droplet viruses.
In China, Taiwan, South Korea, virtually everyone gets masks from the Government, in S. Korea people can get masks from the post office etc. and each person can get 5 masks a week.
https://time.com/5799964/coronavi...k-asia-us/
But, David Hui, a respiratory medicine expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong who studied the 2002 to 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) extensively, says it's "common sense" that wearing a mask would protect against infectious diseases like COVID-19.
"If you are standing in front of someone who is sick, the mask will give some protection," Hui says. "The mask provides a barrier from respiratory droplets, which is predominantly how the virus spreads."
He also says that the role of a face mask may be especially important in the epidemic due to the nature of the virus. Patients with COVID-19 often have mild or even no symptoms, and some researchers believe it can also be transmitted when patients are asymptomatic—meaning patients can be contagious and don't know they're sick.
Hui adds that the lack of solid evidence supporting the effectiveness of masks against the virus is no reason to dismiss its use, because there may never be definitive scientific proof. A properly controlled study would be impossible to conduct ethically, he explains. "You can't randomize people to not wear a mask, and some to wear a mask, and then expose them all to the virus," he says.
Joseph Tsang, an infectious disease specialist who also worked as a consultant for the city's Hospital Authority, says the purpose of wearing a mask is two-fold. "Wearing a mask is not just for protecting yourself from getting infected, but also minimizing the chance of potential infection harboring in your body from spreading to people around you," he tells TIME.
Tsang says the three layers of a surgical mask filter help reduce the risk of contact with droplets, through which the virus is transmitted. "Whenever you foresee to have someone within two to three meters (6.5 to 10 feet) apart, then it's better to wear a mask," Tsang adds.
it takes up to 14 days to show signs in the mean time how many people are being infected.
since we can not be tested we should all wear masks encase we do have it.
and stay home