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This makes me think we're still floundering at the basic protections. Our kids' school in the Bay Area recommends N95s for kids which, if this statement is true, don't exist.
The 3M Aura N95s are pretty comfortable and cost a couple dollars each at Home Depot. They're also pretty good about directing your breath away from the top so your glasses won't fog up when wearing them.
The 3M Aura N95s are pretty comfortable and cost a couple dollars each at Home Depot. They're also pretty good about directing your breath away from the top so your glasses won't fog up when wearing them.
The only downside is the straps: they both go behind your head, one high and one low. They take a bit to get used to, but you can't put them on with a hat on. But the plus is that they are very comfortable for the long term. Sometimes, with glasses, I have to take the glasses off to get the mask off.
The ones with the blue straps, the straps seem to deteriorate quickly if left in the sun, but I've only had a couple where the straps broke.
You can get them small quantity on ebay, and ebay seems to police the sellers, for around $2 each. You can also buy them direct from 3M for $1 in quantity 440, or at least you were able to 6 months ago when we last looked.
So where can I buy N95 in Canada? I see one on Amazon.ca but doesnt arrive until March. Edit: Found a few industrial retail sites, I'll try them out: - https://www.sycorp.ca/safety/respirator/3m-aura-9205-n95-nio... - https://egrimesdirect.com/products/3m-aura-particulate-respi... - https://www.internationalsafety.com/skus/3m-9205-box-3m-aura... - https://apexlabco.com/products/single-pack-3m-n95-respirator... Edit:…
Also Uline has the the 3m 8210
> N95s aren't regulated for children, so if a mask says it's an N95 for kids, don't trust it. This makes me think we're still floundering at the basic protections. Our kids' school in the Bay Area recommends N95s for kids which, if this statement is true, don't exist.
Looking for stuff that's been okayed for kids in Korea has served me well. I got a crate of KF94s for my kids shipped. Of course, then it takes research and time to make sure you don't get ripped off with counterfeits and what have you.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
They cost a lot less if you buy them in larger quantities from a bulk distributor. I get them for 1.50 each.
Yep, and they've gone up... they were about $1.20/ea when I bought my last batch. I've been buying them from ISP: https://www.industrialsafetyproducts.com/3m-9210-aura-n95-pa... (As a bonus, they have the 9210, which has better straps, retail you generally only see the 9205, which is ok too, but the straps are just rubber bands and they don't fit as securely.
So where can I buy N95 in Canada? I see one on Amazon.ca but doesnt arrive until March. Edit: Found a few industrial retail sites, I'll try them out: - https://www.sycorp.ca/safety/respirator/3m-aura-9205-n95-nio... - https://egrimesdirect.com/products/3m-aura-particulate-respi... - https://www.internationalsafety.com/skus/3m-9205-box-3m-aura... - https://apexlabco.com/products/single-pack-3m-n95-respirator... Edit:…
Home Depot has them quite often, otherwise the only place I’ve ever found N95 is a small local hardware store. KN95 can be found in Asian supermarkets quite frequently.
One tool is a candle test, where people put on a mask and try to blow out a lit candle. If the candle can be blown out while the mask is worn, it’s a likely indication that aerosols can go through, according to Aaron E. Glatt, MD, MACP, FIDSA, FSHEA, chair of the department of medicine and chief of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau.
“If you can blow out a candle, that means that’s a relatively flimsy mask, it’s going to be a single ply, and it basically has holes in it," Glatt told Verywell. "If your breath can go through it, that means something else can come in as well."
I really don’t see the point unless you’re immune compromised or at some other high risk. Omicron is the evolutionary result you wait for, better at spreading and less health impact so it significantly outcompetes other variants (it has, something like 95% of infections). Peak omicron is coming withina master of days or already passed across the US. It’s virulence is such that you can only delay not expect to forever…
I really don’t see the point unless you’re immune compromised or at some other high risk. Omicron is the evolutionary result you wait for, better at spreading and less health impact so it significantly outcompetes other variants (it has, something like 95% of infections). Peak omicron is coming withina master of days or already passed across the US. It’s virulence is such that you can only delay not expect to forever…
I really don’t see the point unless you’re immune compromised or at some other high risk. Omicron is the evolutionary result you wait for, better at spreading and less health impact so it significantly outcompetes other variants (it has, something like 95% of infections). Peak omicron is coming withina master of days or already passed across the US. It’s virulence is such that you can only delay not expect to forever…
- Hospital capacity is limited, staff burnout is real, and delayed treatments for non-Covid conditions are occurring. Given Omicron's tremendously fast spread, slowing spread even slightly helps.
- Infection isn't an all-or-nothing strategy. Innoculum, that is, the amount of virus you're exposed to, matters, and a smaller innoculum may reduce severity of symptoms.
- There remain many individuals who are immunocompromised or who have multiple risk factors for Covid.
- Though Omicron's severity is lower, it is not zero. Looking at South Africa, it appears that net total deaths are about 1/3 of previous Covid waves. South Africa's peak was early enough that we're probably seeing peak mortality about now.
- Further mutation of Covid is likely, and the more cases and more variants of virus are spread, the more likely those become. We've seen variants with greater severity (Delta) and greater infectiousness (Omicron). A variant combining those traits would be highly unfortunate.
There are countries which are likely to see major Omicron outbreaks. I've been watching India's new daily cases double every 3 days since January 4, growing from 59k cases then to 533k on 13 January, pretty much precisely as I'd projected. (I was, and am, very much hoping for that trend to break. Given India's pretty clear testing and data reporting issues, hitting a numeric target may not be especially significant. But the point remains that in a country of 1.4 billions, even with a relatively low incident fatality rate, India could be looking at 20--80 million deaths. More if healthcare services are overwhelmed.
Access to, and proper protocols for masks, could help.