They slightly reduce the distance and amount of infected moisture from your lungs spreading into the surrounding air a bit as you exhale, but that's pretty much the extent of their benefit. Not enough to matter, though, as evidenced by that CDC study.
That benefit is overshadowed by leaving a soiled rag on your face that, if there was virus in the air or droplets, is now attached to said face. Improper use of these masks causes infection, including: reusing masks, having them on after even a relatively short period of time, constantly touching the mask and face, or coming in close contact with others because of the false sense of safety.
Many if the self-proclaimed hero mask wearers break all these rules, making their masks useless.
There's a reason why masks in hospitals are disposed after each contact. Except surprisingly now when you'd think priority should be higher.
Source: I work Healthcare and we are mandate to have a mask our entire shift, yet are only allowed 1. (Obviously with positive patients this is different and we use full fresh PPE, yet it shows how badly handled things are being handled in all other scenarios)
If it's one way I guess you could wear it inside out?
Whatever the case, this is obviously a newish product box if it's got COVID19 written on it. My guess is it's more of a cover your ass move than anything else.
No, not at all. What it does is slow and limit the travel of vapor particles from your breathing, coughing or sneezing. The virus travels on particles. Cloth captures a lot of these particles and limits the distance they travel.
You can find videos demonstrating this effect.
The mask can’t help the wearer very much.
Surgeons wear masks to protect the patient, not the doctor.
There are, of courses, masks and headgear that protect the wearer, but they are elaborate.
“Disposable medical masks (also known as surgical masks) are loose-fitting devices that were designed to be worn by medical personnel to protect accidental contamination of patient wounds, and to protect the wearer against splashes or sprays of bodily fluids (36). There is limited evidence for their effectiveness in preventing influenza virus transmission either when worn by the infected person for source control or when worn by uninfected persons to reduce exposure. Our systematic review found no significant effect of face masks on transmission of laboratory-confirmed influenza.”
I’m in a position where I wear a mask for 30-45 minutes a week while grocery shopping. Not a big deal for me. I would go nuts if I had to work 8 hours a day in one.
Masks have always been to protect others from you.
If they don't stop incoming viruses...
They don't magically stop them from getting out.
Even the CDC says they are of no help.
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/5/19-0994_article
They slightly reduce the distance and amount of infected moisture from your lungs spreading into the surrounding air a bit as you exhale, but that's pretty much the extent of their benefit. Not enough to matter, though, as evidenced by that CDC study.
That benefit is overshadowed by leaving a soiled rag on your face that, if there was virus in the air or droplets, is now attached to said face. Improper use of these masks causes infection, including: reusing masks, having them on after even a relatively short period of time, constantly touching the mask and face, or coming in close contact with others because of the false sense of safety.
Many if the self-proclaimed hero mask wearers break all these rules, making their masks useless.
There's a reason why masks in hospitals are disposed after each contact. Except surprisingly now when you'd think priority should be higher.
Source: I work Healthcare and we are mandate to have a mask our entire shift, yet are only allowed 1. (Obviously with positive patients this is different and we use full fresh PPE, yet it shows how badly handled things are being handled in all other scenarios)
Talk to the CDC then. :)
So it’s like a one way mask?
If it's one way I guess you could wear it inside out?
Whatever the case, this is obviously a newish product box if it's got COVID19 written on it. My guess is it's more of a cover your ass move than anything else.
No, not at all. What it does is slow and limit the travel of vapor particles from your breathing, coughing or sneezing. The virus travels on particles. Cloth captures a lot of these particles and limits the distance they travel.
You can find videos demonstrating this effect.
The mask can’t help the wearer very much.
Surgeons wear masks to protect the patient, not the doctor.
There are, of courses, masks and headgear that protect the wearer, but they are elaborate.
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/5/19-0994_article
“Disposable medical masks (also known as surgical masks) are loose-fitting devices that were designed to be worn by medical personnel to protect accidental contamination of patient wounds, and to protect the wearer against splashes or sprays of bodily fluids (36). There is limited evidence for their effectiveness in preventing influenza virus transmission either when worn by the infected person for source control or when worn by uninfected persons to reduce exposure. Our systematic review found no significant effect of face masks on transmission of laboratory-confirmed influenza.”
I’m in a position where I wear a mask for 30-45 minutes a week while grocery shopping. Not a big deal for me. I would go nuts if I had to work 8 hours a day in one.