General > General Technical Chat
Covid 19 virus
Cerebus:
Before the "random advice with no science or sense mob" take over entirely.
This disease spreads from aerosolised droplets of mucus, saliva and the like carrying shed virus, or hand to mucosa transfer of the same.
If you are infected you should wear a mask, if possible, to protect others close to you from uncontrolled coughing or sneezing, to limit the extent that you spray virus all over the place when you cough and sneeze. Note that most masks are designed to stop you breathing something noxious in, not from breathing something noxious out. A cough or sneeze is still likely to push air contaminated with droplets out around the mask's filter element. This is partial protection for others, not complete protection.
If you are infected, infectious and non-symptomatic you won't be coughing and sneezing so wearing a mask just in case you're infected and don't know it will be as much use as tits on a bull. It won't stop you spreading virus all over the place by touching your eyes or nose and then touching things that others may touch - which is the other way you'll spread the disease if you're not coughing and sneezing.
The most dangerous droplets are ones approximately 10um in diameter that will float in the air and not quickly drop to the ground. These will not be stopped by a mask unless it is of a high grade and passes a fit test to minimise leaks around the filtering parts of the mask. Do not put too much faith in masks, even those of us who've had proper respirator training and know our masks fit.
Wearing a properly fitted, proper grade of mask if you're uninfected but in close proximity to people who are known or likely to be infected may offer some protection but please don't think of it as a sure-fire preventative.
For those of us that keep good quality masks as standard PPE for non-medical tasks, note that the good grade masks with one-way exit values are not the thing to use to protect others from yourself if you are infected.
Given the massive shortage of masks please do not use them if you don't actively need them. Using up what small supply you may have unnecessarily is something that you may come to regret later.
The most likely route of infection for most people is hand to mucosa contact (hand to face) after touching a contaminated surface.
The best way to avoid infection and infecting others is for everybody, infected and ostensibly uninfected alike, to follow standard good hygiene practices.
* If you're going to cough or sneeze, whether you know you're infected or not, use a tissue and dispose of it properly. If you don't have a tissue to immediate hand, cough or sneeze into your elbow rather than your hands - this will minimise contamination of your hands.
* Learn to treat your hands as contaminated if
* You have touched your own mouth/nose/eyes
* You have touched a surface that may have been touched by infected persons
* You have handled contaminated items e.g. a tissue that has been coughed or sneezed into
* Wash your hands for 20 seconds if they are likely contaminated (as above) before
* Sticking your fingers into or significantly near the eyes, mouth, nose or any other wet mucosal body orifice - yours or anyone else's (parents who are constantly having to wipe off the mess machines known as children, take note)
* Handling things that you'd expect others to handle (i.e. minimise the risk of passing on the disease to others when you're infected but non-symptomatic)
Lastly, if you are infected, or have good reason to believe that you might be infected - stay at home, do not go out in public unless strictly necessary. The question of "mask or no mask" doesn't come into it if you've put a door and some distance between you and the rest of the world.
-gb-:
--- Quote ---The most likely route of infection for most people is hand to mucosa contact (hand to face) after touching a contaminated surface.
--- End quote ---
Right. But if you would wear a selfmade mask, then you could not touch your mouth. I still think wearing a mask would be good. Here in germany/europe it's winter and cold, it is flu-season. so there are many people coughing and sneezing who think it it just flue and who do not wear masks.
Yes, there is a mask shortage, build them for you own.
Even if wearing the mask only makes a minor difference, i think in this situation we should at least try ist. look at china/southkorea, threre they wear masks and may be have succeded.
Edit:
I just can't find a reason why we do not even try all wearing selfmade masks. there is nothing to loose.
nctnico:
--- Quote from: -gb- on March 17, 2020, 02:46:03 pm ---
--- Quote ---The most likely route of infection for most people is hand to mucosa contact (hand to face) after touching a contaminated surface.
--- End quote ---
Right. But if you would wear a selfmade mask, then you could not touch your mouth. I still think wearing a mask would be good. Here in germany/europe it's winter and cold, it is flu-season. so there are many people coughing and sneezing who think it it just flue and who do not wear masks.
Yes, there is a mask shortage, build them for you own.
Even if wearing the mask only makes a minor difference, i think in this situation we should at least try ist. look at china/southkorea, threre they wear masks and may be have succeded.
--- End quote ---
No. They just wear masks for the placebo effect / false sense of security. Cerebus already described in detail why generic / self made masks don't work at all. The only thing which helps is to physically seperate people by keeping distance and keeping your hands clean. You are way too panicky. Just follow the advice from the experts.
Cerebus:
--- Quote from: -gb- on March 17, 2020, 02:46:03 pm ---
--- Quote ---The most likely route of infection for most people is hand to mucosa contact (hand to face) after touching a contaminated surface.
--- End quote ---
Right. But if you would wear a selfmade mask, then you could not touch your mouth.
--- End quote ---
Eyes?
--- Quote ---I still think wearing a mask would be good. Here in germany/europe it's winter and cold, it is flu-season. so there are many people coughing and sneezing who think it it just flue and who do not wear masks.
--- End quote ---
If they are coughing and sneezing then, yes, they should bloody well be wearing masks. They ought to be in a normal cold or flu season, but that's not the way in most of Europe/the US. Perhaps it should be.
What's pointless is everybody, symptomless and symptomatic alike wearing masks.
-gb-:
--- Quote ---Cerebus already described in detail why generic / self made masks don't work at all.
--- End quote ---
They do work, but they do NOT protect you if you are not infected. They protect everyone else if you are infected and wear the mask.
with corona many people do not know they are infected because they
a) are in incubation time
b) have a very mild corona
c) think it's the flu. here in europe where it's winter.
but if everyone wears a selfmade mask, then these group of infection people who don't know or don't think they are infecting would wear a mask too.
--- Quote ---Eyes?
--- End quote ---
yes, you are rignt but not touching the mouth is at least a little reduction.
--- Quote ---What's pointless is everybody, symptomless and symptomatic alike wearing masks.
--- End quote ---
Maybe. but what can we loose? and if the mask is mandatory, then all people who think they have only the flu would wear the mask too. why not just try it?
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