health

Time to wear a better mask, experts say

29 Comments
By Issam AHMED

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How many times do you needs to be told that masks aren’t there to protect the wearer, but those around the wearer?

P Smith, many people still dont understand this. Yesterday, I was in the train, a non Japanese man in front of me didn't wear a mask. I asked him to use a mask, he replied. No use !

-2 ( +6 / -8 )

An important detail that frequently is not said is that the better the mask the more it depends on proper fit, for example N95 and equivalent masks require to be fitted almost perfectly to the skin to make use of their efficacy, having facial hair can make that fit impossible so people would not benefit much from choosing that kind of mask instead of other types that can be more loosely fitted.

My point is that those around me have their eyes and ears exposed, allowing the virus to spread.

Cost/benefit.

A bike helmet is much less effective than a full pressurized BSL4 rate hazmat suit. That does not make the suit automatically the "better" option.

If a mask is extremely easy to wear, can be discarded with a small cost and is able to reduce most of the viruses then that is a much better option, if you are able to increase that efficacy with an extra layer of cloth that can be washed and reused that is also a rational choice.

Present the data that proves that a helmet has an efficacy that can offset the cost (and also that ears are in any way significant points of entry for the virus) else your personal subjective opinion is of no importance.

How many times do you needs to be told that masks aren’t there to protect the wearer, but those around the wearer?

Mask work for both things, they are more effective interrupting spreading to other people but there is also value in wearing one if you want to protect yourself, the best case scenario is of course if everybody is wearing them.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Mask or no mask makes no difference, at the rate of new mutations and transmission of new mutations, 75% of the global population will become infected at least one time, before any semblance of eradication or some control is in play

Of course it makes a difference, it is not the same that 75% of the population gets infected in a couple of months that if this is dispersed over the course of a few years. Specially if most people get protective immunity from vaccines before being infected (even if the protection is not perfect).

"IF" this Virus was cooked in mother nature's kitchen we as a species have a greater problem to worry about other than the current pandemic.

Welcome to 100 years ago, when the epidemiologists and other infectious diseases experts began to frequently write about this very real danger. People are getting all surprised that this pandemic was predicted before, experts are more into the "i told you so" mood, and nobody expects this to be the last time, nor the worst way for it to happen.

There is no realistic possibility for this to be a bioweapon, and no need either, this is how nature works.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

Yesterday, I was in the train, a non Japanese man in front of me didn't wear a mask. I asked him to use a mask, he replied. No use !

It is to the train company employees to ask customers to wear a mask. But they don’t, except through their recorded messages.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Burning BushToday  06:56 am JST

My full face motorcycle helmets blows all those masks out of the park.

20% of water droplets enter your body via the eyes and ears.

Pointless to wear a mask if those are uncovered.

Motorcycle helmet is the safest route.

"ears"?

Whilst wearing your helmet, when you breathe in, where does the air come from? How is it filtered?

6 ( +6 / -0 )

KORE NANIToday  09:50 am JST

................ then we as a species have failed, because we elect IDIOTS who are governed by greedy mega corporations, and this is just the beginning.

The people of many countries don't have the ability to elect their governments.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Of course, appearance/nationality/race/sex @Seesaw7 (xenophobic’?)8:34a wants to make an issue.

Yesterday, I was in the train, a non Japanese man in front of me didn't wear a mask. I asked him to use a mask, he replied. No use !” - Try that with a local, see/hear/feel what reaction you’ll get.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

There are no air gaps in a full face helmet, they're built that way to reduce noise. Air enters through specially designed ventilation ports which block particles and free flowing air.

What is the size of the ports? how much of the particles does it block? at what sizes? how much protection does this bring? You understand that the ports ARE air gaps, right?

And eyes and ears and protected from nasty germs from other people.

Still no reference for the supposed role of the ears? how much importance of transmission is attributed to the eyes? is it important also to cover the eyebrows?

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Full face helmets provide near 100% protection, especially if they're winterized with the chin guard in place.

goodluck wearing that going to a bank, supermarket or restaurant

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Everyone basically needs the clear face covering that reaches from ear to ear and forehead to neck.

It protects eyes, ears, nose and mouth.It allows people to breathe better, we can see each others faces, and people can return back to work, school, and personal interests outside the home because people will be mostly safe with the addition of hand washing. It will also make it easier to eat in public like restaurants and outdoor eating areas.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Still have not seen any peer-reviewed experiments that show how effective masks are for blocking the COVID and Influenza viruses. I believe masks can help somewhat, but definitely not a end all be all.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Ears? Thats a good one!

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Yesterday, I was in the train, a non Japanese man in front of me didn't wear a mask. I asked him to use a mask, he replied. No use !

Yes, I've noticed that, too. Some of my fellow foreigners seem to be oblivious to those around them, or are just too cool for school.

I stress some. The majority of fellow residents wear masks, as far as I've experienced.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

That is a stupid discussion. The viruses replicate within you, the better your masks, the more layers etc. the more of them you keep inside your body so that you reach the virus load for disease outbreaks earlier than necessary. Or in other words, while everyone tries more to safe the others, everyone will more endanger themselves. I would even say, that more viruses are generated than in a situation when everyone has a simpler mask and most of the viruses are breathed out so that they can’t replicate in body cells and are in average less concentrated. Difficult to explain, but maybe you get the point. Of course more surfaces are contaminated, admitted, but that still means less replication and can be handled with stricter disinfecting measures. Anyway, do what you want, it can’t be helped finally, one way or another, right?

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Everyone basically needs the clear face covering that reaches from ear to ear and forehead to neck.

Plastic coverings that provide no filtration are much less useful than a mask, (and covering the ears has no effect, the virus do not enter that way). Wearing face coverings AND masks are better than mask alone, but depending on the situation the small benefit do not compensate for the extra troubles and may be better to replace them with googles.

Still have not seen any peer-reviewed experiments that show how effective masks are for blocking the COVID and Influenza viruses. I believe masks can help somewhat, but definitely not a end all be all

Some have appeared even here, if you have not seen them you are not really paying any attention.

Weird how worldwide the number of cases is dropping out of the sky despite these new supposedly deadlier variants

Weird if you are an alien maybe, for people of this planet it is obvious that higher adherence to containment measures, change of seasons, the end of the extra numbers product of the holidays, etc. have a very important part in the number of cases simultaneously in many places.

The viruses replicate within you, the better your masks, the more layers etc. the more of them you keep inside your body so that you reach the virus load for disease outbreaks earlier than necessary. Or in other words, while everyone tries more to safe the others, everyone will more endanger themselves.

Sorry but that is just a bunch of nonsense, expelled viruses are just a tiny part of the viruses that are continuously produced inside the body, that amount has absolutely NO importance in the production of problems or complications. As I corrected you before, it would be like blowing back sparks from a huge bonfire good if you want to prevent other fires happening, irrelevant for the heath produced by the main fire.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

@virusrex

Plastic coverings that provide no filtration are much less useful than a mask, (and covering the ears has no effect, the virus do not enter that way). Wearing face coverings AND masks are better than mask alone, but depending on the situation the small benefit do not compensate for the extra troubles and may be better to replace them with googles.

Well, the fact, there is evidence that COVID-19 does infect the ear means you do not know everything. Right?

Study reveals Covid-19 can infect ears

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/study-reveals-covid-19-can-infect-ears/story-lCbx8IrdZnbyfi6t8la2wI.html

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Well, the fact, there is evidence that COVID-19 does infect the ear means you do not know everything. Right?

Err... you understand that the outer and the middle ear are separated by the ear drum, and that the middle ear is communicated directly to the nasal part of the throat by the Eustachian tubes, right?

There is no described mechanism that would allow viruses deposited on the skin of the outer ear to be transported to the middle ear (the movement of particles is in the opposite way and the virus do not infect the cells of the skin), and on the other hand it is well described that pathogens from the nose to be communicated to the middle and inner ear.

So no, one thing is to have infections of the ear, another very different that the infection was introduced by the ear. The first thing is common, the second one absolutely not.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

I'm still trying to find guidance on how long we should wear a mask. I'm assuming that if we are infected, the virus will accumulate on the mask, and so the longer we wear a mask , the bigger risk we present when talking or whatever. So I try to minimize the time I wear one. I don't wear one when walking the dog when I can easily avoid other people. I for sure wear one when entering the supermarket. But there are a lot of intermediate situations when it is difficult to decide. I know there are those that wear a mask at all times when out of the house. But if you've worn a mask for an hour or two before entering the supermarket, how big a risk do you present to others.

If anyone can point me to some good guidance on this, it would be much appreciated.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

albaleo, sadly I can’t but I think it a valid question and wouldn’t mind a serious answer my self.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

If people want to wear fancy masks after herd immunity is attained in a few months, that's their choice.

The rest of us will carry on with life.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

If people want to wear fancy masks after herd immunity is attained in a few months, that's their choice.

The rest of us will carry on with life.

some dont even bother to read the science, herd immunity means around 70~80 of the population needs to become infected at a 2% mortality rate thats about 1.8million dead Japanese. Japans not even close to that. now theres another thing called a vaccine that basically does the same thing by making the body up to 90% immune to the virus, with far far fewer deaths as a result.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

How well a mask works depends on two things: filtration and fit

For the ignorants out there sticking the nose out and even half mouth as I’ve see some: fit means the whole nose and mouth inside the mask.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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