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
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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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Where's most of America's medical supplies made? Abroad, and a lot in China.
They can make and ship millions and billions of masks without a problem under Politburo control.
On the flip side, they can determine which countries collapse or not just as easily by not shipping enough or at all.
...
More possible trade war:
China has tests. 15 minute ones like Japan.
Why does America wait on rolling out the new 45 minute slower home grown one? Maybe give $$$ to that company? Or China etc aren't happy and won't ship?
Japan and China have Avigan. Reported by Nikkei to work. Why can't America get any yet Indonesia can buy?
...
Any PHYSICAL barrier will prevent total number of viruses from entering you, reducing the chance of infection.
HK, Japan, etc all have a culture of wearing masks even for minor colds and that has helped greatly to reduce the spread. America? Fools on the beach with no masks still spreading the New spring break fever...
this week it's up to 10%
90% of people still don't give a fok, and are spreading it around.
Masks are probably the cheapest way to slow down the virus and restore the economy.
I just want to punch surgeon general Jerome in the face for saying "masks do NOT help"
people took that as gospel.
Think about this.... every time you say:
"pass the popcorn" or
pass the pepper, or
could you Pop my Pimples ?
.... you spit a little, and spread germs.
What? you don't have germs? Guess what. You could be an asymptomatic COVID19 carrier. You're contagious and don't even know it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/2...curve.html
south korea flattened the curve because they constantly nagged people to wear a mask. They literally babysat the public.
meanwhile, americans couldn't give less of a shit.
why do people keep saying this?
when you cough or sneeze, the virus is momentarily airborne. Then it lands on surfaces.
Corona doesn't just magically appear on surfaces.
That's the whole point of wearing a mask.... to minimize direct splashing on bystanders, and to contain the splashing from those already infected so that their infected spit doesn't land on surfaces.
A surgical mask is to prevent the surgeon from spitting on his patient while cutting into him.
there's enough. People can wrap their face in a t-shirt too.
But the main reason people don't want to wear a mask is that they're afraid of looking goofy dumb in public.
a mask isn't a fashion statement.
no it wouldn't. People in grocery stores are in close enough proximity to each other, and all it takes is for one idiot to cough and not cover his mouth.
I caught coronavirus 3 weeks ago from a trip to the store, and I didn't wear a mask.
The people standing around me didn't look sick, and I thought I was invincible.
Looking back, I was a fool, because there were already confirmed cases of corona in los angeles.
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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.
For protecting everyone else FROM you, read the articles in the OP.
Low Information ? Facts?
you don't have enough force to squeeze a 4 micron flu particle through an n95 mask just by coughing.
Viruses don't magically pass through n95 barriers by themselves. They need vehicles.
This is how it works:
Your spit contains virus particles. Your spit droplets hit your mask, and everything is stopped, including the viruses.
Spit = vehicle. Viruses = occupants. When vehicle is stopped, so are the viruses.
When you cough into a mask, all your spit is caught by the mask, unless somehow your spit droplets defied physics and flew sideways out the side of the mask.
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.....
If I may tweak that behavioral point a little, I also suggest that people like to feel that they are in control of the situation. The act of wearing a face mask gives the user a measure of control over the situation. It may be a false sense of control, but it is nonetheless reassuring.
It's like fixing one's bed in the morning. I was once told that it is the one thing that you are in control of. And I've found the adage to be true. No matter what problems I may face during the course of the day, it's somehow comforting to know that the day started off with me in control.