COVID-19
Why Everyone Should Wear a Mask!
Supporting References
Featured Article:
Saving Your Health,
One Mask at a Time
COVID-19 Face Mask News
Face Masks in the Pandemic
- We’ve shed measures that stop the spread of the coronavirus and help prevent excessive … Adults, for example, can face health issues throughout the body after a bout of COVID-19.
- These days, it can seem like the pandemic is over … still recommends wearing face masks in crowded indoor public places, especially when there is a lot of COVID-19 in your community, even …
- As the U.S. heads into the fall and winter months, when COVID-19 cases typically surge, experts weigh in on whether or not masks should return.
- Authors argued governments were too slow to respond to COVID … by the pandemic. Authors argued policies also contributed to public opposition to health measures, like wearing face masks and …
- The commission also said the WHO was too slow both to support travel bans to prevent the spread of the virus and to endorse the use of face masks … the coronavirus pandemic began Other COVID …
- The government’s pandemic Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has recently recommended lifting the mandatory wearing of face masks outdoors.
Making Homemade Masks
- Sep 29, 2022 (The Expresswire) — Number of Tables and Figures :159 | The global "Face Masks for Virus Protection Market"size is projected to reach Multimillion USD by 2028, In comparison to 2021 …
- After two years of mask-wearing at school, it was announced in a COVID-19 update on Monday September 26 that school children no longer need to wear face masks in schools. The announcement by the …
- There are tons of options, including both disposable and cloth masks, that will provide your kids with comfort, protection, and will look stylish too. Many retailers offer cloth face masks that …
- Travis Knudsen of the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency told KLCC that while cloth masks aren’t of great … that they have a nice seal on your face, where no air is able to pass between …
- But with another wave of the virus on the horizon, some people may want to rethink face masks for protection. "My recommendation to people would be to mask when in indoor crowded spaces," Dr …
- Experts told ABC News that while vaccination is the best protection … in my face, and I haven't gotten COVID from patients," she said. "I really do believe that PPE works, that masks work." …
Making Homemade Face Masks using Different Methods
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
Now available for sale online (we are not an affiliate vendor)
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