COVID-19
Why Everyone Should Wear a Mask!
Supporting References
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Saving Your Health, One Mask at a Time
Latest COVID-19 Face Mask News
100 Million Masks Challenge
- AstraZeneca said on Monday its COVID-19 vaccine could be as much as 90% effective, giving the world's fight against the global pandemic a third new weapon that can be cheaper to make, easier to …
- Greece’s armed forces are setting up a field hospital with more than 50 beds in the northern city of Thessaloniki as part of plans to tackle …
- ‘We Haven't Learned': Grocery Workers Face New Challenges as Covid Worsens, Pandemic Fatigue Sets inGrocery workers say they’re facing health risks and new challenges as the coronavirus pandemic intensifies during the holiday season.
- Onlookers shouted "no more masks, burn the masks," as the state's seven-day average number of cases hit the highest level since April.
- New York City and New York State differ on how they measure the crucial threshold of 3 percent positivity. Unlike the rest of the U.S., Hawaii has seen a decline in infections. South Korea and Japan …
- As Africa is poised to surpass 2 million confirmed virus cases as early as Wednesday, it is Kenya’s turn to worry the continent with a second surge in infections well under way …
Face Masks in the Pandemic
- SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The COVID-19 pandemic is having a major impact across the world and also in cities across Northern California. The latest number of confirmed cases in the U.S. can be found at …
- Los Angeles shattered its record for daily new COVID-19 cases Monday, prompting the county health department to mull new stay-home orders.
- The specter of another significant shutdown is looming over Los Angeles County, as a wave of new infections threatens to propel the region past the threshold officials have warned will bring about a …
- In an effort to track the changes with the coronavirus outbreak in Arizona, 12 News started a daily live blog.
- While health officials agree face masks help prevent the spread of Covid-19, state and local governments have varied widely on implementation of mask rules. Now, President-elect Joe Biden wants to …
- Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, face coverings have been added to the … In terms of whether or not masks pose a potential risk to your health and safety, an example of such an …
Making Homemade Masks
- N95s filter most particles from the air and provide more protection to users than paper surgical masks or homemade cloth ones. Nationwide, about 17% of nursing homes had a one-week supply of N95 …
- N95s filter most particles from the air and provide more protection to users than paper surgical masks or homemade cloth ones. Nationwide, about 17% of nursing homes had a one-week supply of N95 masks …
- “There was an initial panic around PPE and other types of face masks … protection". As other studies have found, layered fabrics appear to be the most effective in terms of homemade masks.
- along with concerning shortages of personal protection masks, she started sewing. And since April, she has produced nearly 2,000 cloth face masks that she’s been handing out for free to her …
- If you’re looking for a a reusable face mask there are … OK for people that prefer more protection, but not OK for those that don't like wearing a mask. The masks come in bright colours …
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