Not so much, no. An N95 mask would, yes; but they're still asking us not to buy those.
The person coughing or sneezing wearing a mask would greatly reduce how much contagious stuff they spread around. If that comes in contact with your non N95 mask its not going to prevent you from getting infected.
It's a valid question. We've been told it's completely useless. Now that narrative is unofficially changing. Maybe it's nearly useless except for times you're in close contact with lots of people who might be sick, and then it reduces risk of catching it only by something less than say 80%, as an arbitrary guess?
It is hard to argue with the statement "if masks didn't work, nurses wouldn't wear them." But that's a general practice, and this is a specific problem. As I understand it, this virus (and maybe all viruses?) are much smaller than most stuff a nurse could get exposed to on a daily basis. Hence the development of the N95.
I think the point of putting a nurse mask on and taking it off spreading disease can be eliminated:
wash your hands really well first. Tie it carefully keeping your hands at the back where you tie it. Wash hands again before taking it off. Or at least only touch it by the strings at the back. I don't know if it's sop to throw a nurse mask away once you take it off?
Not so much, no. An N95 mask would, yes; but they're still asking us not to buy those.
The person coughing or sneezing wearing a mask would greatly reduce how much contagious stuff they spread around. If that comes in contact with your non N95 mask its not going to prevent you from getting infected.
It's a valid question. We've been told it's completely useless. Now that narrative is unofficially changing. Maybe it's nearly useless except for times you're in close contact with lots of people who might be sick, and then it reduces risk of catching it only by something less than say 80%, as an arbitrary guess?
It is hard to argue with the statement "if masks didn't work, nurses wouldn't wear them." But that's a general practice, and this is a specific problem. As I understand it, this virus (and maybe all viruses?) are much smaller than most stuff a nurse could get exposed to on a daily basis. Hence the development of the N95.
I think the point of putting a nurse mask on and taking it off spreading disease can be eliminated:
wash your hands really well first. Tie it carefully keeping your hands at the back where you tie it. Wash hands again before taking it off. Or at least only touch it by the strings at the back. I don't know if it's sop to throw a nurse mask away once you take it off?