COVID-19
Why Everyone Should Wear a Mask!
Supporting References
The Safe Store Initiative
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Saving Your Health, One Mask at a Time
Latest COVID-19 Face Mask News
100 Million Masks Challenge
- Over 200 Mexican photographers raised more than 6.7 million pesos (US $300,000) to donate to the fight against Covid-19.
- Nearly 108 million people in China's Jilin province could be forced back into lockdown after a growing group of new coronavirus infections triggered a backslide in the nation's push to return to …
- As covid-19 spreads through the country, hospitals are burning through masks and other protective gear at up to 10 times the normal rate.
- Honeywell is to build a new UK production line that will make 70 million COVID-19 face masks over the next 18 months. In a deal with the government that will create around 450 jobs, the Fortune 100 …
- That is the challenge facing deaf people across the world as the Covid … masks are in short supply, leading some to make their own. Over 5 percent of the world’s population, or 466 million …
- Warren, MI, May 01, 2020 –(PR.com)– When the global COVID-19 pandemic … Hospital Association’s 100 Million Mask Challenge where donations of face masks, supplies such as disinfectants …
Face Masks in the Pandemic
- The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more …
- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has lifted Michigan’s nearly 10-week coronavirus stay-at-home order, letting restaurants reopen to dine-in customers next week and immediately easing limits on outdoor gatherings …
- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has lifted Michigan’s nearly 10-week coronavirus stay-at-home order, letting restaurants reopen to dine-in customers next week and immediately easing limits on outdoor gatherings …
- The German chancellor had announced earlier Saturday that she would not travel to the U.S. for the G7. Businesses are starting up again, but workers commuting by public transportation face dilemmas.
- Elkhart County leaders are asking business leaders to step up their efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19 before the economy is shut down again.
- Minnesota, the epicenter of the protests, has seen an uptick in new cases and hospitalizations in recent days.
Making Homemade Masks
- People will have to wear face masks instead of face shields when they leave home, following a review of an earlier policy in which either option had been allowed.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
- Only specific groups will be allowed to wear face shields in place of face masks, including teachers and children below 12 years of age.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
- Your questions answered on what type of mask to wear to cut the risk of getting Covid-19 …
- Plastic face shields do a better job of protecting against Covid-19 than homemade masks, according to a group of experts. They are easy to produce and use, making them attractive against the virus …
- Coronavirus face masks must be work at all times whenever you leave your house for any reason, according to the CDC. While it’s true that any face covering will help to some degree, …
- Chatham County Superior Court judges on Friday, May 22, made the wearing of face coverings mandatory for anyone entering local county courthouses as part …
Simple DIY masks could help flatten the curve.
We should all wear them in public
Washington Post Article by Jeremy Howard
Washington Post, March 28, 2020. When historians tally up the many missteps policymakers have made in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the senseless and unscientific push for the general public to avoid wearing masks should be near the top.
Jeremy Howard – Why we need #Masks4All, and how to make your own mask
The Hong Kong Mask
This is for social hygiene – its purpose is to protect others from you. No sewing. Everyday components. Very simple. Includes multiple layer mask and a face shield. Dispose of the mask immediately after use and scrub your hands.
The Super Simple Diaper Mask!
This is for social hygiene – its purpose is to protect others from you. It may give you some protection from others. No sewing! Takes one diaper and a pair of scissors. Cut out a square in the center of the diaper, leaving elastic on either side. Use the cutout square to make a double layer in front. You can effectively seal this mask around your nose with a pair of goggles. Includes two non-woven layers of polypropylene and two moisture absorbing tortuous paths. Easy, simple and fast. This very simple mask meets many of the requirements of a good surgical mask – as described in the “What is a Good Quality Surgical Mask?” video at the bottom of this page. Dispose of the mask immediately after use and scrub your hands.
A Doctor Explains How to Make the Safest Face Mask (HEPA Vacuum Bag)
If N95 or better masks are not available, Dr. Southworth recommends this mask as an alternative for healthcare workers. The fit appears to be very good, because he could not smell household fumes, such as bacon cooking while wearing the mask. Given the materials, this mask is potentially reusable. The integrity of this mask should be verified with the standard fit test with each use. UV germicidal light could be used to keep it clean between patients.
Face Mask with a Filter Pocket
This is a sewn version of a simple surgical mask. Hospitals are providing these to patients in the waiting area, and for them to take home for their personal use. The nose wire helps to achieve an improved fit. The replaceable filter layer(s) can be made from unwoven fabrics such as 100% rayon, cellulose, or polypropylene as found in fabric liners and diapers. The cloth portion of the mask is washable, but for safety it should be sterilized immediately after use by soaking in hydrogen peroxide. Remove the mask by only touching the elastic portions and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.
Nurse Preferred Mask
Which mask should I make for the hospitals? The nurse below talks about the designs for two types of surgical masks. She prefers ties over elastic because of the discomfort of wearing elastic. She prefers at least four layers in the mask. She does not want an insertable filter because when she is working it is beyond what she wants to deal with. Each hospital has different requirements – please check before creating them.
DIY Near N-95 Masks
This mask should not only help protect others from you, but may also help protect you from others. It requires no sewing, and attempts to replicate the layering used in N95 masks by using a MERV13 filter. You should verify its fit and filtering capability with a sniff test for household odors as described by Dr. Southworth in the above vacuum bag mask video. This mask cannot be washed but you can sterilize the surfaces with UV light. Remove the mask by only touching the elastic portions and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.
This mask should not only help protect others from you, but may also help protect you from others. This is a simple sewn mask. It includes a wired nose piece. The DIY video explains the use of layering of unwoven fabrics to create a tortuous path which acts as a barrier to viruses and small particles. This mask is washable. Immediately sterilize in hydrogen peroxide or UV light after each use. Remove the mask by only touching the elastic portions and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.
The Olson Mask (for Healthcare Workers)
This is the Olson mask that some hospitals are asking people to make in the event that alternatives are needed. Their innovative use of double sided tape got this mask to pass the hospital fit test.
The MERV Filter Mask
This is one the early DIY masks that requires no sewing. It uses a MERV13 air filter material.
The Bra Mask
This is a multilayered mask. It gives you a pre-shaped form and elastic straps using bras that many women will have in their dresser drawer. To the extent is it well sealed on the sides, this mask will help protect others from you and may protect you from others.
The Anti Viral Masks
Antiviral materials are coming. The two stories below refer to research and innovations that will allow any mask, homemade or otherwise, to be made of antiviral materials. Treated fabrics will destroy viruses on contacts.
The Salt Mask
Read the Story
The Nano Textile Sonovia Innovation – a New Long Term Sterile Mask
Read the Story
How to Put On and Take Off a Face Mask Safely
When you remove a mask, you must treat it as if it were contaminated.
What is a Good Quality Surgical Mask?
How to Sterilize Your Mask
Doctors scramble for best practices on reusing medical masks during shortage
Can masks safely be reused and disinfected?
How to reuse and dispose your masks safely
Face masks can be used repeatedly after disinfection: doctors
7 Coronavirus cleaning questions, answered by an expert
UV LIGHT REFERENCE 1 | REFERENCE 2