Covid19 DIY Face-Mask • Hacker News Board

Re: Covid19 DIY Face-Mask

#21

Post by endorphone » Sat, Mar 21, 2020, 1:44 PM UTC

joppy wrote: post #18

nisuni wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> From what I read, these are only useful if you're sick and trying to reduce transmission. Governments have been telling this, as well, but it cannot be 100% true. I supposed it was a white lie to prevent people from stockpiling. Otherwise, there would be no use in medical personnel using masks. I can understand that face masks might not be the best measure for healthy people, I can understand that they might not be…

Surgical-style masks are designed to catch droplets from the wearer, and therefore prevent the wearer infecting others. They are not useful in the reverse direction, only those other super-tight masks are. So if you are healthy right now, you should probably not be wearing a surgical mask. However there is a use for healthy medical professionals wearing a surgical mask, which is to prevent them from becoming a vector…

Surgical-style masks catch droplets going in either direction (of course) -- whatever protection it offers going out it offers going in as well, which is fairly obvious from a basic analysis. Of course it won't protect against individual viruses, but for many vectors that are not actually airborne but instead are in relatively large airborne droplets of fluid -- including this virus -- it can be of some use. Certainly better than nothing.

As a secondary benefit it stops you from touching the critical areas of your face. Given that we touch our face hundreds to thousands of times a day, a few adjustments of a mask aren't going to offset that.

The myth that the mask purely protects others is a myth that needs to die. At this point it is truly destructive.

Given that a surgical mask is only of limited protection, and not total protection, of course in actual contagion situations medication professionals should have something much better. Though we're in a situation right now where the CDC is telling medical professionals to fashion masks out of bandanas.

But when you see the streets of China where everyone is wearing surgical masks, or you see some old person walking around with one, note that it absolutely does reduce their risk. Not anywhere close to completely, but to some degree.

Re: Covid19 DIY Face-Mask

#22

Post by jsjohnst » Sat, Mar 21, 2020, 1:46 PM UTC

bdonlan wrote: post #4

diimdeep wrote: post #3

Everyone not sick should be using Respirators classified as N95 / FFP2 / FFP3 or Half Mask with same class filters. This DIY is suitable only for already sick.

Ideally, yes, but if you didn't have a suitable respirator already you're going to have a hard time finding one now.

JBTools.com has a bunch of the N95 half face and full face respirators last time I checked.

Re: Covid19 DIY Face-Mask

#23

Post by throw_m239339 » Sat, Mar 21, 2020, 1:48 PM UTC

nisuni wrote: post #12

obscura wrote: post #8

From what I read, these are only useful if you're sick and trying to reduce transmission. While they're better than nothing, they're not better than proper masks. [1] Isolation, social distancing, covering your mouth/nose correctly when you cough/sneeze and handwashing are more effective measures. [2] I don't imagine that these DIY masks should be used more than once (as is the case with most masks), so you'll probab…

> From what I read, these are only useful if you're sick and trying to reduce transmission. Governments have been telling this, as well, but it cannot be 100% true. I supposed it was a white lie to prevent people from stockpiling. Otherwise, there would be no use in medical personnel using masks. I can understand that face masks might not be the best measure for healthy people, I can understand that they might not be…

> Governments have been telling this, as well, but it cannot be 100% true. I supposed it was a white lie to prevent people from stockpiling.

What I find crazy is (some) western governments complete inability to re-purpose (what's left of) their industries in a matter of days to produce needed masks and other accessories. You'd think there would be procedures already in place, but no, all they can do is monopolize re-sellers stocks for themselves. The inability of some so called first countries to handle that health crisis is a eye opener when it comes to how weak some western countries are. Where I live it's almost impossible to buy masks anywhere right now.

Re: Covid19 DIY Face-Mask

#24

Post by benjohnson » Sat, Mar 21, 2020, 2:13 PM UTC

Cantbekhan wrote: post #13

bdonlan wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ideally, yes, but if you didn't have a suitable respirator already you're going to have a hard time finding one now.

As some other people mentioned in other threads, aliexpress seems to be restocked on some "alleged" FFP2 and shipping them including express shipping with DHL. Risky and expensive bet tho. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000768665097.html

China ramped up their production and now that the coast is (mostly) clear there, we we're bound to see this.

I've ordered a bunch at about $0.50 and if I get the order, I'll be driving most of them over to one of the local hospitals in Seattle.

Re: Covid19 DIY Face-Mask

#25

Post by joppy » Sat, Mar 21, 2020, 2:29 PM UTC

endorphone wrote: post #21

joppy wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Surgical-style masks are designed to catch droplets from the wearer, and therefore prevent the wearer infecting others. They are not useful in the reverse direction, only those other super-tight masks are. So if you are healthy right now, you should probably not be wearing a surgical mask. However there is a use for healthy medical professionals wearing a surgical mask, which is to prevent them from becoming a vector…

Surgical-style masks catch droplets going in either direction (of course) -- whatever protection it offers going out it offers going in as well, which is fairly obvious from a basic analysis. Of course it won't protect against individual viruses, but for many vectors that are not actually airborne but instead are in relatively large airborne droplets of fluid -- including this virus -- it can be of some use. Certainl…

It is a nuanced issue though. There are recommendations from the World Health Organisation which say that in a community setting, for a well person “a medical mask is not required, as no evidence is available on its usefulness to protect non-sick persons“, but that a person with respiratory symptoms should wear a mask [1].

In a medical setting (or very close contact, like a few metres or so) they do help in both directions, this is standard “droplet precautions” one usually takes with a patient.

So while I agree with you that it does help in the medical setting, there is really no evidence that wearing a mask on the street protects yourself, rather than protecting others.

[1]: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/advice-...

Re: Covid19 DIY Face-Mask

#26

Post by indrax » Sat, Mar 21, 2020, 3:04 PM UTC

Some furnace filters claim to filter viruses(e.g. filtrete 1500 and higher from 3M) and seem to still be available in stores/amazon. These should be repurposed for higher priority users. (Preferably with a better seal than this.)

Re: Covid19 DIY Face-Mask

#27

Post by zzzcpan » Sat, Mar 21, 2020, 3:18 PM UTC

indrax wrote: post #26

Some furnace filters claim to filter viruses(e.g. filtrete 1500 and higher from 3M) and seem to still be available in stores/amazon. These should be repurposed for higher priority users. (Preferably with a better seal than this.)

From filtering point of view viruses are dust particles of roughly 100 nanometers in diameter and aerosols. Lots of filters are designed to filter this stuff, pretty much all ultrafine particle class filters.

Re: Covid19 DIY Face-Mask

#28

Post by indrax » Sat, Mar 21, 2020, 3:35 PM UTC

obscura wrote: post #8

From what I read, these are only useful if you're sick and trying to reduce transmission. While they're better than nothing, they're not better than proper masks. [1] Isolation, social distancing, covering your mouth/nose correctly when you cough/sneeze and handwashing are more effective measures. [2] I don't imagine that these DIY masks should be used more than once (as is the case with most masks), so you'll probab…

New York state recommends masks for those age 70+ and those with compromised immune systems.

https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home