Should You Wear A Mask?

Should you and your family members be wearing a mask to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19)?   This is a hotly debated topic and one that may not soon be agreed upon by everyone.  Over the last few weeks, a number of voices are saying “Yes.”

I am, also, one of those proponents of dawning a mask.  And, that’s no April Fool’s joke.

The head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. George Gao, is also one who has been very vocal about using a mask.  “The big mistake in the US and Europe, in my opinion, is that people aren’t wearing masks. This virus is transmitted by droplets and close contact. Droplets play a very important role — you’ve got to wear a mask, because when you speak, there are always droplets coming out of your mouth.” Gao said in his interview in Science.

Because coronavirus is a droplet based infection, and not an aerosolized infection, wearing a face mask can more effectively prevent the droplets that carry the virus from escaping and infecting other people.  However, I don’t recommend using the medical grade masks. Save those for those that must have face to face contact with COVID-19 positive patients and persons with direct exposures.  For the lay person in the grocery store who must get essentials and may have brief contact, I recommend using a specially designed homemade mask.

Masks Actually Help

Recent research shows that some people infected with the COVID-19 virus who don’t have any acute symptoms can still spread the virus.  This means that the person in line with you to buy toilet paper, might just be infected and not know it.  Research also shows that even wearing a proper homemade mask can reduce silent transmissions of bacteria and viruses in these situations.

In fact, this has been the recent topic of discussion at the CDC, and the use of homemade masks were reviewed in great detail in yesterday’s Washington Post article here.

Homemade Masks Make a Dent in Viral Spread

Wearing a homemade mask has become the norm in Czechia.  The government of Czechia mandated the wearing of masks on March 18^th, 2020.   Jeremy Howard of #Masks4all has collected and summarized 40 published scientific research papers that show wearing masks actually does work.  One 2011 meta-analysis shows, when coupled with strict hand washing, masks have the greatest impact on reducing virus spread.

Mr. Howard states that this action of the Czechian government has flattened the curve of the pandemic in his country.  You can read the article in Prague Morning.

What Kind of Mask Should I Wear?

So, what kind of mask should I wear?  The what, where and how of homemade masks that I am recommending to my patients can by found in my youtube video below.

The source for the pattern that I am wearing and recommend using can be found here:  http://tianascloset.com/index.php/2020/02/06/face-mask-against-the-coronavirus-epidemic/

How can you avoid contaminating the mask and yourself?

The main objection of the mask naysayers is that the mask itself becomes contaminated.  Carelessly using the mask and not cleaning it can become of source of viral transmission.  The benefit of a homemade mask is that it is cheap, washable and re-usable.

Here are some steps to follow to ensure that you and your family remain healthy while using a homemade mask:

• Wash with soap and water, or sanitize your hands well, before making any mask.
• Wash and sanitize your hands before putting the mask on.
• When removing the mask, do not touch the front of the mask with your hands; take it off by the ties or elastics. Then wash your hands.
• Immediately after use, do not put the mask on any surface. Put the mask into the washing machine or a sink of hot soapy water and clean well.  Some data shows that you can also bake fabric masks. However, the temperature must reach 180F° (82C°) for 20 minutes to cleans it.
• If you have made a disposable mask out of paper towels or coffee filters, throw it out into a plastic-lined waste bin with a lid.
• After discarding, or sanitizing the mask, sanitize your hands again.
• Any time you are wearing a mask, do not touch the mask, your face or rub your eyes.

Wearing any mask over the next 3-4 weeks will help protect you from passing the virus on to others at greater risk.  It may also decrease your risk of someone else passing the virus on to you.

This will help reduce the number of infected people from overwhelming our healthcare system, first responders, and healthcare workers.

Check out my dedicated coronavirus page that is regularly updated for further information about this virus at https://www.docmuscles.com/coronavirus/.