So we should wear masks

[alloutoffucks]

Initially we were told that masks were a waste of time. Now we are told that masks do provide some benefit.

You people who have acquired masks are aware they are single use only, right ?

So if you are reusing the same mask every time you are at best getting no effect whatsoever and, at worst, increasing the chances of cross infection

Please educate yourselves

I feel it’s pointless. People want what they want. And they will take what they can get. If you want to make your own masks then do, but do not start ranting about the government not telling people to wear them - the reasons for which are already outlined. They are for the NHS

The moment someone official came out said ‘everyone should wear masks’ it would induce even more panic and stress for those who couldn’t get masks. Some people will have them, so use them as you choose. But many people wouldn’t be able to get them anyway so would remain in isolation/distancing measures in exactly the same way

If you have a CV suspected cough WHY are you leaving the house? Because you have a paper mask?

How about a scarf. Donald says you can wear a scarf. A good scarf. Lots of people have scarves. That is good. Very good.

There could have been an effort a few moths ago to encourage everyone to wear cloth masks and to wash them every time they are used. It would have been a little cottage industry. While at the same time banning supplies of proper masks to members of the public.
No cloth masks do not prevent all infection. They do reduce it and provide a visible reminder to take this virus seriously.
Most people have no symptoms when they are first infectious.

Ffp3 masks are not fit tested every time they’re worn. You are fit tested to a brand of mask. The fit test involves wearing a hood with a hole in the front and having a spray sprayed through the hood, if you can smell or taste it then your mask does not fit. Once you can’t smell/taste it you know that brand of mask provides a seal for your individual face. It’s up to the individual to remember how to put the mask on properly and tighten the straps to get a seal. You don’t go through the rigmarole with the spray after the initial fitting.

And yes I’m very aware they’re supposed to be single use.

But without a constant supply I’ll take my chances. I know how to remove one safely, put it in a bag and don’t touch it for 7 days. Any virus should be gone by then......better than nothing anyway.

In Italy even the medics are reusing single use masks.

Same thing I posted a couple of weeks back. Of course they work. They’ve always worked. Some EU nations have made them mandatory and they’ve successfully slowed the spread (along with social distancing and closing their borders and airports).

It’s jaw dropping that our government fed us such bullshit and it’s even more horrific so many people believed it. Since it’s on all the bloody internet already.

If everyone wore a mask they would be beneficial as they are more likely to stop someone SPREADING the virus, less likely to stop someone catching it...

Kind of like the whole cough / sneeze into a tissue thing to stop the spread of germs!

The medics in Italy are reusing masks because of a shortage in supply. This is probably contributing to the unacceptably high number of health care staff succumbing to the virus and some of them actually dying

It is shit. I don't know what the answer is but clearly misusing single use equipment cannot be recommended.

Where I work we are removed from Covid areas after a maximum of 4 hours using FFP masks and then they are binned. I wish that for everyone. I know that isn't the case, sadly.

The general public using masks against guidelines may cause more harm than good, IMO. Take care, everyone.

Very good article on the subject here:

afludiary.blogspot.com/2020/04/masking-our-covid-19-concerns.html

The debate over the public wearing of masks continues, and has not yet officially been recommended by the WHO, or the CDC. Frankly, the convoluted messaging over why the public shouldn't wear masks (they don't protect against the virus, and should be reserved for HCWs who need them) has diminished their credibility.

The `right' message should have been, we don't have enough disposable PPEs for HCWs, so please make your own masks, and wear them in public, along with washing your hands, social distancing, and the rest of the the standard advice.
Simple, honest, and most people would have accepted the reality.

Although I don't understand why it has taken two months, in recent days the opinion and advice appears to be changing

@anyfucker What misuse would cause what issues?

Yes, but my point is the Italian medics still think a reused mask is better than no mask. Obviously a new mask every time is the gold standard.

My last day outside before I totally self isolated I was walking down my street and keeping away from others when a man about 8 foot away suddenly coughed, not covering it. If he had corona but had no symptoms and had to wear a mask, that would reduce transmission.

The point is, social distancing and isolation is supposed to reduce your transmission.
If you absolutely have no choice but to go outside into places other people will be, then a mask may be beneficial. The official advice is to stay indoors for the majority of the general public which is the protection measures given to them. The protection measures for front line workers is they have no choice but to be around other people therefore they should be wearing a mask of some kind to reduce their risk

You getting coughed at in the street is much lower risk than a HCP being coughed on when they are treating a patient

You can make your own. The best fabric apparently for doing so is a vacuum cleaner bag. I have a Henry vacuum cleaner and the fabric bags to go with it.

Masks are incredibly useful as a means of stopping transmission, since they catch the droplets that people cough, sneeze, breathe and talk out.

Most messages I've seen about mask effectiveness are looking at how well they protect people from breathing in and catching the virus, rather than how well they protect the community from those people who have the virus and don't realise, so are out and about breathing the virus out.

I expect that masks may contribute to the steep drop-off in infection rates seen in China etc - I hope that they take off in the UK too.

Google masks4all or look at

I agree that we shouldn't be taking them from the NHS - there are plenty of videos online that show how to make masks from old t-shirts etc that will go a long way to preventing people who have it from passing it onto others.

Patients should wear a simple surgical mask as it reduces the spread of droplets from their mouth and nose.

If patients and non infected people all wear masks that reduces spread by 80-90%

If only non infected people wear masks risk is only reduced by 30%

The main component in the equation is the infeected person containing the droplets on the inside of their own mask.

That's what my health and social care employer is telling us in internal documents atm.

If anyone is infected everyone has to wear masks. If the patient cannot wear a mask (we work with people with learning disabilities, neurological differences and psychiatric disorders which make this unrealistic for many) we get FFP3 masks.

So just wearing a 3 ply surgical mask or any dust mask yourself is only marginally protective.

Masks need changing very frequently. We've been told to make one do for a whole shift now but they usually need changing between patients.

There's certainly no benefit in using the same mask/ filter for more than a day.

If you see your own reusable mask it needs to be washable at 90 degrees (or you can boil it for 5 minutes on the hob after each use).

*sew not see

To pinch an analogy from someone earlier. Trying to stop this virus with a home made mask is like shooting sand through chicken wire - almost all of it will go through. The hoover bags only makes a difference if it is a HEPA filter bag not an ordinary one,

South Korea has closed schools but pretty much everything else is continuing, albeit with social distancing. So one seat vacant in cinemas between customers, more spacing in restaurants and gyms. They have implemented a very stringent trace and test regime as well. Everyone wears a mask, usually just the surgical kind. Even weddings are going ahead, again with masks. Their positive cases and death rates have been consistently low. Stands out in the Daily No10 briefing graph where the countries round the world are compared.

@anothernotherone who has told them to do that, have they decided that or gone by guidelines? I think that's a very good way of dealing with CV patients and helps reduce the chance of stock shortages where possible.

My ward says - surgical mask (3 ply ear loop) apron and short gloves for all suspected and positive patients (ffp3 worn for aerosol procedure only) the patients aren't given surgical masks in the room (they only wear them when they are transferred to us) most of them are definitely able to wear them if they were told to.

I am so fed up of this confusion about what PPE is safe. I don't care if they're is stock shortages I would understand and get on with it but it's the fact we are told our current PPE is definitely safe that gets me as so many people disagree. Even out of date masks are now safe.

@helpfulperson they are the HEPA ones

PonderLand I live in the worst impacted state in Germany and my employer is one of the largest providers of social care (care homes, nursing homes, supported living, community care) in the state. They've provided the guidance for us, and it's being implemented by tens of thousands of employees (thousands for my direct employer, tens of thousands in the umbrella organisation), but I don't honestly know whether they have it from our ministry of health or another source.