To wear a mask

health

#21

Almost all Chinese are seen wearing masks. Maybe this is what stopped the spread? They seemingly have such low cases of the disease now. I say it can only help to cover up our mouth/nose- so why not?


('Jackie P') #22

Mmmm, they have reported low cases, but other reports suggest otherwise.

It’s very difficult to assess the true figures as everywhere seems to have a different way of reporting.
Also the more you test the less your confirmed cases as a percentage. Also if you test mainly young people, as in Germany (reportedly), then it looks as if your death rates are lower!


#23

Yeah I know- who trusts their information. But it is a far cry from the epidemic they had?


(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #24

It’s the law in China to wear a mask. I don’t know if the masks help directly or not. I feel like not. But. When you go out and every face you see is masked and you can’t get into the store without one and you get your temerature checked every time you enter a building or get on the bus, it certainly doesn’t let you forget what is going on. Maybe that helps people remember to stand apart when possible and wash your hands. It might be a strong psycological effect.


#25

@Ruina
It absolutely helps to stop the spread of the droplets. It helps so we don’t inhale them from people who even have nonsymptomatic disease.


('Jackie P') #26

By my understanding, and how I have always been taught regarding face masks, once they are moist from breathing, (20 minutes) they can cause more harm than good to the wearer.
A warm, moist environment promotes an ideal breeding ground for bacteria/viruses should they be exposed. It may offer some protection to others if the wearer has the virus, but not to the wearer.


#27

HEY!! We could even get out those old Halloween masks and have some fun with it! :grin:


(Bunny) #28

Spraying the masks I have left with table salt from a tiny spray bottle and letting them dry, salt kills the virus (COVID-19) within 5 minutes compared to copper (4 hours).

They look like bats…lol


(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #29

Perhaps, but they are practically impossible to wear correctly day in and day out for months. Especially when they are in short supply and everyone reuses them. Try not to touch your face while wearing a mask for an extended period, and keep track of how many times you catch yourself touching your face because of the mask before you even realize you are doing it. Especially if you live in the south where it is already pretty warm most days.

Maybe it is helping, I won’t swear that it isn’t. But living this way for 3 months already and getting soars on my face from the mask (hello, open wounds on my face) makes me not a fan.


('Jackie P') #30

Looks like you are running a dodgy S & M club there @atomicspacebunny :joy::joy::joy:
Seriously though, that is really interesting about the salt! Thank you.


(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #31

Bunny! You have so many masks! You are a wealthy woman!


(Bunny) #32

I gave the other half away to my roommates daughter she works at Walmart.

It’s ok I will make cloth ones!


(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #33

That was nice of you.

I finally was able to buy a cloth one at Miniso, like a Japanese dollar store. It is a lot more comfortable and I can dry it on my space heater after washing it. I did make a cloth one but it was stretch fabric, lined with gauze from a baby spit up rag. (The baby stuff is usually nice and soft and doesn’t have as many chemicals, I hope.) Anyway, since it was stretchy it outlined my beak of a nose, the effect hightend by the fact that it was a nice rich orange color. Oh, well. At least it was practice. I’ll do better nest time if this goes on much longer.


#34

@CrackerJax
Moist from breathing? Surgeons operate sometimes for many hours and they dont get “moist”. I never heard of that.


(Rebecca 🌸 Frankenfluffy) #35

Mr S was upset at the hospital on Thursday when his infusion nurse kindly adjusted his mask with her (bare) hands because his glasses had steamed up…!


('Jackie P') #36

Surgeons wear masks to protect the patients not themselves . If they are operating on an infected patient they should wear enhanced PPE.


('Jackie P') #37

:grimacing:


('Jackie P') #38

This might help to inform you.


(Bunny) #39

Creative mask ideas:

Making Face Mask from Basic Materials

This one above I would add salt to what ever material I would use as my filter then add copper mesh. Maybe high quality rubber tubing around the part that fits on the face, cut on one side and hot glued onto edge? So many ways to modify this?


Face Shields too:

DIY Face Shield Made with 2 Headbands, a Hair Tie, Transparency Film, Duct Tape, and Hot Glue

I really like this face shield (above) very nice!

A Doctor Explains How to Make the Safest Face Mask

You can’t even smell bacon with this mask material he is recommending…lol :mask::sob:


#40

@CrackerJax
Thanks for “Informing me”
I am a doctor. The study you cited was inconclusive and that is because there are too many variables. There is a difference between protecting the patient and protecting the doctor and whether we are dealing with bacteria or viruses and the new situation of deadly corona or ebola. This is assuming they are not operating on a patient with ebola or covid19, and even so it is questionable if the virus would be spread from an open wound, or by blood instead of droplets. That hasn’t been studied yet, as far as I have read lately. It wouldn’t be smart to operate on someone with such a deadly virus anyway. Just another variable. I can assure you that surgeons operate without changing their masks for hours, and I have worn them and they never got wet, in my case.
But there was the famous story that my cousin told me once from his medical studies at Tulane. A young resident was told to hold the clamps during the abdominal operation and learn while watching. It was strenuous to stand there and hold them for so long. The sweat accumulated on his forehead and finally dripped into the open wound. The professor famously said to him snidely “Why don’t you just get up there and shit in it?!” Yeah- he was wearing a mask of course.
Wearing masks is certainly not airtight and not totally aseptic, but they can definitely be a first case offensive to stand off microscopic droplets containing corona virus from others towards our mouths and nostrils, and vice versa. Not perfect but better than without. And now that it is known that even asymptomatic patients can spread the virus just by talking, I am going to wear one. And I wouldn’t be surprised if this helped the Chinese to contain their own epidemic. If their numbers are honest.