Archive for March 2020

“Despite messages from some health officials to the contrary, it’s likely that a mask can help protect a healthy wearer from infection.” Benjamin Cowling, epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong “It’s really a perfectly good public health intervention that’s not used….It’s not to protect yourself. It’s to protect people against the droplets coming out…

“And considering COVID-19 has a lot of asymptomatic cases, widespread use of masks could help prevent those who do not know they are carrying the virus from spreading it to others.” Article Link: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/03/experts-question-advice-against-face-mask-use-coronavirus.html KK Cheng, public health expert at the University of Birmingham

“Given the weight of evidence, it seems likely that universal mask wearing should be a part of the solution. Every single one of us can make it happen — starting today… It’s time to make masks a key part of our fight to contain, then defeat, this pandemic. Masks effective at “flattening the curve” can…

“Can you speak on the effectiveness of masks to address the problem? Are we in short supply? Do we need more? How is that process going? We certainly need more. We have much more supply now than we had a week or two ago. You have to prioritize who needs the mask and who should…

“…there are not enough masks for everyone…Here, therefore, DIY could come into play: following some precautions, anyone can create a homemade mask, always considering that homemade masks have reduced effectiveness but are still useful as a last minute remedy” “Coughing and sneezing, but also breathing and speaking, scatter what are called droplets, micro-drops of saliva,…

“When researchers conducted systematic review of a variety of interventions used during the SARS outbreak in 2003, they found that washing hands more than 10 times daily was 55 percent effective in stopping virus transmission, while wearing a mask was actually more effective — at about 68 percent. Wearing gloves offered about the same amount of protection…

“The big mistake in the U.S. 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. Many people have asymptomatic or…

There is no scientific support for the statement that masks worn by non-professionals are “not effective”. In contrary, in view of the stated goal to “flatten the curve”, any additional, however partial reduction of transmission would be welcome — even that afforded by the simple surgical masks or home-made (DIY) masks (which would not exacerbate…

“WHO recommends against wearing masks in community settings because of lack of evidence. However, absence of evidence of effectiveness should not be equated to evidence of ineffectiveness, especially when facing a novel situation with limited alternative options. It has long been recommended that for respiratory infections like influenza, affected patients should wear masks to limit…