I thought I'd share a couple of articles which influence me as to whether or not to wear a mask.
The first is a study which was about a person in China who was infected and went on what sounds like a bigger long distance bus. The article shows that other people on the bus got infected, but those wearing a mask did not get infected. If should be kept in mind this may just be luck. Not everyone not wearing a mask got infected either.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8094933/How-one-man-spread-coronavirus-NINE-people-bus.html
The one thing to keep in mind is the government has two roles. Two look after the people and to look after the economy. We however have one role and that is to look after ourselves and our families, whilst at the same time doing our best to look after others. Sometimes what the government does may conflict with what we should do.
For example if everyone were to wear a mask then there wouldn't be enough masks to go around and those that really need to wear masks, such as health workers who risk their lives to look after us, may not be able to access the masks they need. The government needs to look after health workers first and foremost. Without them and keeping them healthy means the rest of us are at greater risk. Therein lies and conflict. You need to make a decision for yourself.
More recently this article about the CDC (Center for Disease Control in America) has started to reconsider the advice given to the general public on the use of masks.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/health/cdc-masks-coronavirus.html
Finally, if you do wear a mask it is extremely important to educate yourself on the correct way of wearing and using a mask. If is possible that with incorrect usage you may in fact increase your risk of infection. For example letting the mask drop below you face once out of a crowded area to breath means your are keeping the surface of the mask near your face, and that isn't a good idea. Not correctly sanitising your hands when putting on or taking of your mask may increase your risk.
Another article I read was about making your own masks. What was good about the article was there was some scientific type research on the materials to use. So even if you can't buy a mask, you can always make it yourself, or have a friend with sewing skills make it for you.
https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-materials-make-diy-face-mask-virus/
Do keep in mind making your own mask should be a last resort. But if it helps to reduce the chances of infection by half, then that's still better than no protection. Interestingly it may be that a mask helps you stop touching your face more and that's also a good thing.
One thing that is apparent is if you are ill that it's a good idea to wear of mask for the benefit of others. If you are not showing signs of coronavirus (called asymptomatic) then you could be spreading the virus. Wearing a mask reduces the risk to others. If others wear a mask too that reduces the risk to you.
For me it makes sense to wear a mask in public. Remove the mask carefully and make sure I correctly sanitise my hands.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.Mapz.com.au/coronavirusvictoria/
Update: 3/04/2020
It appears the tide is starting to turn with regards to people being advised to wear masks. Lots of information in this article.
https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/coronavirus-update-asia-may-have-been-right-all-along-about-coronavirus-and-face-masks-c-948214
Another article indicating the tide is changing we regards to the advice on wearing masks.
https://www.9news.com.au/world/coronavirus-spread-through-talking-even-breathing-experts-tell-white-house/014db7b0-af3d-4f34-b1f1-605540a19df5
CDC (in the USA) have updated their recommendation to now use cloth face covering.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover.html
Knowing the codes used to name face masks can be confusing. The following has a table which gives the different codes. In Australia P2 is the equivalent of the USA code N95.
https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/1791500O/comparison-ffp2-kn95-n95-filtering-facepiece-respirator-classes-tb.pdf
Update: 24/04/2020
In the following study, if I read the discussion correctly, in the situation of an infected child with a virus in a household, if the others in the household adhere to wearing a mask whilst in the presence of the infected person, the can reduce the risk of being infected by 60-80%.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2662657/#R27
The following article relates to Health Care Workers wearing N95 masks with a 62% reduced risk of bacterial infection compared with wearing no mask.
http://www.isg.org.au/index.php/news-items/study-shows-superiority-of-n95-respirators-in-protecting-health-workers-against-bacterial-respiratory-infections./
The first is a study which was about a person in China who was infected and went on what sounds like a bigger long distance bus. The article shows that other people on the bus got infected, but those wearing a mask did not get infected. If should be kept in mind this may just be luck. Not everyone not wearing a mask got infected either.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8094933/How-one-man-spread-coronavirus-NINE-people-bus.html
The one thing to keep in mind is the government has two roles. Two look after the people and to look after the economy. We however have one role and that is to look after ourselves and our families, whilst at the same time doing our best to look after others. Sometimes what the government does may conflict with what we should do.
For example if everyone were to wear a mask then there wouldn't be enough masks to go around and those that really need to wear masks, such as health workers who risk their lives to look after us, may not be able to access the masks they need. The government needs to look after health workers first and foremost. Without them and keeping them healthy means the rest of us are at greater risk. Therein lies and conflict. You need to make a decision for yourself.
More recently this article about the CDC (Center for Disease Control in America) has started to reconsider the advice given to the general public on the use of masks.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/health/cdc-masks-coronavirus.html
Finally, if you do wear a mask it is extremely important to educate yourself on the correct way of wearing and using a mask. If is possible that with incorrect usage you may in fact increase your risk of infection. For example letting the mask drop below you face once out of a crowded area to breath means your are keeping the surface of the mask near your face, and that isn't a good idea. Not correctly sanitising your hands when putting on or taking of your mask may increase your risk.
Another article I read was about making your own masks. What was good about the article was there was some scientific type research on the materials to use. So even if you can't buy a mask, you can always make it yourself, or have a friend with sewing skills make it for you.
https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-materials-make-diy-face-mask-virus/
Do keep in mind making your own mask should be a last resort. But if it helps to reduce the chances of infection by half, then that's still better than no protection. Interestingly it may be that a mask helps you stop touching your face more and that's also a good thing.
One thing that is apparent is if you are ill that it's a good idea to wear of mask for the benefit of others. If you are not showing signs of coronavirus (called asymptomatic) then you could be spreading the virus. Wearing a mask reduces the risk to others. If others wear a mask too that reduces the risk to you.
For me it makes sense to wear a mask in public. Remove the mask carefully and make sure I correctly sanitise my hands.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.Mapz.com.au/coronavirusvictoria/
Update: 3/04/2020
It appears the tide is starting to turn with regards to people being advised to wear masks. Lots of information in this article.
https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/coronavirus-update-asia-may-have-been-right-all-along-about-coronavirus-and-face-masks-c-948214
Another article indicating the tide is changing we regards to the advice on wearing masks.
https://www.9news.com.au/world/coronavirus-spread-through-talking-even-breathing-experts-tell-white-house/014db7b0-af3d-4f34-b1f1-605540a19df5
CDC (in the USA) have updated their recommendation to now use cloth face covering.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover.html
Knowing the codes used to name face masks can be confusing. The following has a table which gives the different codes. In Australia P2 is the equivalent of the USA code N95.
https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/1791500O/comparison-ffp2-kn95-n95-filtering-facepiece-respirator-classes-tb.pdf
Update: 24/04/2020
In the following study, if I read the discussion correctly, in the situation of an infected child with a virus in a household, if the others in the household adhere to wearing a mask whilst in the presence of the infected person, the can reduce the risk of being infected by 60-80%.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2662657/#R27
The following article relates to Health Care Workers wearing N95 masks with a 62% reduced risk of bacterial infection compared with wearing no mask.
http://www.isg.org.au/index.php/news-items/study-shows-superiority-of-n95-respirators-in-protecting-health-workers-against-bacterial-respiratory-infections./
Update: 28/05/2020
The following articles show how effective different masks are when tested. Even surgical masks which don't fit that well performed reasonably. In all cases the risk was at least halved and in some cases nearly 20 time less. That's a significant reduction.
Update: 24/08/2020
In the following article I found the information that wearing masks increases the percentage of people being asymptomatic both good and concerning. Good because people are getting less affect, but bad because having more people asymptomatic means more people may spread the virus because they don't think they're sick.
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