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Masks4All: Wear a mask to stop the spread of Coronavirus (Jeremy Howard)

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Re: Masks4All: Wear a mask to stop the spread of Coronavirus (Jeremy Howard)

#111

Post by lonelappde »

stronglikedan wrote: post #13
nyxtom wrote: post #3

US Surgeon General continues to recommend against this for some reason

> for some reason They recommend against wearing medical to help cull the shortage, and they recommend against wearing non-medical because they can provide a false sense of security, especially when worn incorrectly. Both very good reasons, IMO. I just assume that anyone wearing a mask is doing so because they're infected, as per the recommendations, and I'm giving them a wide berth.

Not good reason. Lying to people to try to manipulate their presumed stupidity for their own good doesn't work. We went through this with the malarkey around claiming "advising abstinence is safer than offering condoms for STD protection"

Re: Masks4All: Wear a mask to stop the spread of Coronavirus (Jeremy Howard)

#112

Post by phtrivier »

Please find a word that means "an ordinary piece of fabric that you can build yourself and wear if you're not sick".

At least in France, "Wear a mask" would be understood as "wear an FFP2, surgical-level" mask. The kind of masks:

* that we are in very short supply of at the moment (for various and sad reasons)

* that we have to save for doctors

* that everybody would try to buy on black markets if you asked them to use

* that we unfortunately told people not to try and buy (precisely because we need to save them for doctors because they are in short supply, etc...)

So if a campaign started today saying "wear a mask", with the intention of saying "cover your mouth with a piece of fabric that you made yourself if you're not sick", I suspect it would be counter-productive.

We need another word.

Re: Masks4All: Wear a mask to stop the spread of Coronavirus (Jeremy Howard)

#113

Post by bmn__ »

dragontamer wrote: post #79

So, here's some information I've been seeing about masks. 1. After breathing in a mask for a while, the outside is now "potentially contaminated" with COVID19. Treat the outside of a mask as if it were infected. Do NOT touch the mask while using it. Do NOT rub your eyes, etc. etc. Do NOT put on the mask backwards. It is recommended to color-code the inside and outside to make it easier to see. 2. There are a ton of d…

Do not boil or steam respirator masks. It destroys the material and renders it less effective, sometimes drastically so.

Instead disinfect them with dry heat in an oven or rice cooker. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22680799

Re: Masks4All: Wear a mask to stop the spread of Coronavirus (Jeremy Howard)

#114

Post by dragontamer »

bmn__ wrote: post #113
dragontamer wrote: post #79

So, here's some information I've been seeing about masks. 1. After breathing in a mask for a while, the outside is now "potentially contaminated" with COVID19. Treat the outside of a mask as if it were infected. Do NOT touch the mask while using it. Do NOT rub your eyes, etc. etc. Do NOT put on the mask backwards. It is recommended to color-code the inside and outside to make it easier to see. 2. There are a ton of d…

Do not boil or steam respirator masks. It destroys the material and renders it less effective, sometimes drastically so. Instead disinfect them with dry heat in an oven or rice cooker. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22680799

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3373043/

Perhaps my advice is specific to repurposed T-shirt masks then. But this study boiled the masks before testing and use.

The study was designed for poorer countries without as much infrastructure. Which is why the materials are so simple and the methods crude. But those attributes are very useful for the DIY community.

Re: Masks4All: Wear a mask to stop the spread of Coronavirus (Jeremy Howard)

#115

Post by Wowfunhappy »

uxp100 wrote: post #34
lostphilosopher wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good point. Also, from the site: > "Note: Please do not buy surgical or N95 masks because we need to keep those available for the doctors, nurses and first responders so they can stay healthy and care for the ill."

Kinda dumb point, since a healthcare worker is the one who gave me my single surgical mask in the first place. They don't want you to "donate" back a single used mask that your doctor gave you in the first place.

They also don't want you to keep using a single mask for weeks on end, which is likely worse than not wearing anything since they're a breeding ground for bacteria. They aren't designed to washed, they're supposed to be disposable.

Re: Masks4All: Wear a mask to stop the spread of Coronavirus (Jeremy Howard)

#116

Post by Symmetry »

dumbfounder wrote: post #87

Great website, I just have one suggestion. Before the message to wear a mask have in big red letters: "DO NOT GO OUT IN PUBLIC UNLESS IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY! No mask is more effective than simply not being around other people. BUT, if you absolutely must go out..."

To echo this, wearing a surgical mask consistently will maybe decrease your odds of getting Covid-19 by a factor of 3. That isn't the same as being immune so don't take unnecessary risks.

Re: Masks4All: Wear a mask to stop the spread of Coronavirus (Jeremy Howard)

#117

Post by frodprefect »

nitrogen wrote: post #5

Has the mask supply situation improved? I still see empty shelves for things like gloves, sanitizers, etc.

It's interesting to look at the numbers for this. Google says there are 2.86 million registered nurses in the US. Lets add in doctors and other healthcare workers and say there are 10 million workers (probably more). 3M is making 100 million masks a month. That's only enough for each of them to get 10 a month. They probably go through that in half a shift since they have to change per patient.

Re: Masks4All: Wear a mask to stop the spread of Coronavirus (Jeremy Howard)

#118

Post by eden_hazard »

yamrzou wrote: post #86
graposaymaname wrote: post #70

Quoting from the WHO/emergencies website[1] > If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection. The World Health Organization still recommends that you wear masks only if you're taking care of someone with COVID-19. Why is it so? Like if the evidence is so clear, why aren't they advising the general public about this? (PS. non-native english speake…

Maybe to prevent a rush on surgical masks so that they are kept for health workers who need them the most?

That's another lie. Go to HD or Walmart and ask them how long they've been out of stock for. There was never a rush in the US. Healthcare workers should have their own supply from hospitals.

Re: Masks4All: Wear a mask to stop the spread of Coronavirus (Jeremy Howard)

#119

Post by ThrowAway83774 »

Symmetry wrote: post #116
dumbfounder wrote: post #87

Great website, I just have one suggestion. Before the message to wear a mask have in big red letters: "DO NOT GO OUT IN PUBLIC UNLESS IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY! No mask is more effective than simply not being around other people. BUT, if you absolutely must go out..."

To echo this, wearing a surgical mask consistently will maybe decrease your odds of getting Covid-19 by a factor of 3. That isn't the same as being immune so don't take unnecessary risks.

No, it's a reduction by a factor of 1000 or more. Doctors use them around infected patients and doctors aren't dropping dead like flies.

Re: Masks4All: Wear a mask to stop the spread of Coronavirus (Jeremy Howard)

#120

Post by ThrowAway83774 »

Reebz wrote: post #10
kalium-xyz wrote: post #2

Interesting how the public opinion on this turned around as the virus spread. I wonder if this will lead to people in the west wearing surgical masks during flu season like people do in Asia.

While I agree, it wasn’t just general public opinion. In NYC at least, it was widely stated in the media by government officials and doctors that masks were unnecessary if you’re healthy, and actually could be bad because people were 1) removing surgical/n95 masks from supply, 2) wearing a cloth mask improperly sanitized can make you sick with other things. I like how Jeremy’s site has directly addressed those origin…

NYC government and health officials lied to NYCers when they told them that they should not wear masks.
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