Our face mask future: Do they really help beat flu, coronavirus and pollution? #coronavirusnz, #covid19nz, #facemasks, #masksprotection, #n95mask, #kn95masks, @davidlim, #davidlimnz

Huge numbers of people are wearing face masks – in Japan and South Korea there have been reports of stores selling out. But experts are divided on how effective they are

Masks may not be great against viruses or pollution, according to experts.
 Masks may not be great against viruses or pollution, according to experts. Photograph: d3sign/Getty Images
As the death toll from coronavirus steadily rises, east Asian countries such as Taiwan have stepped up production of surgical face masks to meet demand. In the Chinese city of Wuhan, at the centre of the outbreak, it is mandatory to wear one in public places, and there have been reports of stores in Japan and South Korea selling out.
Please read the full article here....

Question: Can DIY Masks Protect Us from Coronavirus? #covid19nz, #coronavirus, #coronavirusnz, #lockdown2020, #lockdownnz

26-3-2020:

Homemade cloth masks aren't ideal, but given the present shortages of medical-grade protective gear in the midst of a pandemic, they may be the best option for some people.

The new coronavirus, named SARS-CoV-2, is a dangerous, airborne illness. It has already spread to 169 countries, including in the United States. Its rapid spread and a lack of preparation by government officials has left doctors, nurses and other frontline workers without access to the protective equipment necessary to defend themselves from the pathogen as they treat patients. It's also left the public without the option of masking up en masse to slow the spread of the disease.

In the past, infectious disease experts questioned the value of homemade cloth masks as a defense against viruses like the flu. But now those same experts are urging medical professionals who only have access to limited protective equipment to use homemade cloth masks if they have absolutely no other option. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that health care providers with absolutely no other option use a bandana or scarf when treating patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. However,this should ideally be paired with a face shield, and even then, the impact on disease reduction is unknown. 

Read the full article here....

The Global Shortage of Medical Masks Won't Be Easing Soon ...#hengzhini

20th March, 2020:

Wendover Brown runs a boutique business in San Francisco selling hand-sewn face masks. Her patterned products are called Vogmasks (pronounced “vogue masks”). They are meant to look more like clothing than medical devices—cosmetically palatable respirators for people trying to avoid air pollution or allergens. Most months, Brown says, she sells a few thousand.

 
Last week she was shocked to get an order from Dubai for 100,000. That was one of several enormous requests from around the world, amid concerns about the new coronavirus.

Last week she was shocked to get an order from Dubai for 100,000. That was one of several enormous requests from around the world, amid concerns about the new coronavirus.

Cheaper, standard surgical masks—the expandable rectangles of paper—are reportedly in short supply in many places, as are N95 respirators used in health-care settings—the cup-shaped devices that seal tightly to the face with elastic bands. (N95 is the designation used by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, indicating that a mask can block inhalation of 95 percent of airborne particles.) Even though Vogmasks carry no such formal certification, boutique suppliers like Brown are selling out as people grasp for longer-term, business-casual mask options.



Brown had to turn down those huge orders. “This isn’t what we do,” she says. “I have no ability to fill that kind of order.”