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
- Ford Motor Company is providing Ohioans with an amply supply of personal protective equipment amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor John Husted announced updates to Ohio’s response to the COVID-19 after an increase in new cases on the western side of the state.
- Governor Jon Husted gave an update on the recovery of Ohio's economy during the COVID-19 … 2.5 million masks a week for their employees, as well as citizens in at-risk communities. "This is part of …
- On the first day of fall, Gov. Mike DeWine tried to warn Ohioans that the virus could spread more easily as they head indoors.
- President Donald Trump pledged 100 million coronavirus vaccine doses by the year’s end, a promise that contradicts the CDC’s most optimistic projections.
- USPS scrapped plan to send 650 million masks. Nearly half of Americans say they won't get vaccinated. Bars in Las Vegas to reopen. Latest COVID-19 news.
Face Masks in the Pandemic
- As a spike in cases continues in the state, Utah leaders have been forced to go backward for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Provo and Orem will be moving back to the orange, …
- U.S. surpasses 200,000 coronavirus deaths. CDC says trick-or-treating should still be avoided. Irony of Mayflower celebrations. Latest on COVID-19.
- The Oklahoma Department of Corrections has reported that two inmates have died due to COVID-19 and seven other deaths are possibly the result of the disease, which is caused by the coronavirus.
- Michel’s bodyguard tests positive; Italy introduces border tests for French visitors; Madrid residents advised not to travel …
- Can the same face masks that help prevent the spread of COVID-19 also protect people from wildfire smoke? It depends on the type of mask, according to experts.
- Cloth masks, when widely adopted, can slow the spread of COVID-19. It's a different story for how effective they are against wildfire smoke.
Making Homemade Masks
- However, if you have too much on your plate to research masks but still want to get a great mask, I spent hours scouring Etsy to find masks worth buying—here are the top 8: 1. T …
- UC postdoctoral researcher Adam Parlin holds up a silk face mask. A UC study found that silk masks might work better at repelling COVID-19 than cotton or …
- With personal protective equipment still in short supply, researchers at the University of Cincinnati examined what common household fabrics might work best as a face covering.
- CHAMPAIGN, IL — Studies indicate that homemade masks help combat the … the exhaled air is forced out around contours of a face, defeating the purpose of the mask and providing a false sense of …
- Don't fret about whether that fabric mask you made on your sewing machine protects against the spread of COVID-19 as well as the face masks sold in stores … RELATED Study: Regular eyeglasses may …
- Those homemade face masks work — and they might even be more breathable than medical masks, a recent study shows. The findings were published in the journal Extreme Mechanics Letters. With the supply …
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