Coronavirus has been sweeping around the globe, seeding fear and causing panic. With a total of 97,993 confirmed affected cases, 3,381 deaths, and 87 affected countries, The World Health Organization has taken matters into its own hands. WHO has already shipped a half a million sets of personal protective equipment to the frontline doctors, but the global supply is depleting.
People are taking all measures to protect themselves, causing a shortage of protective masks in many countries. As a result, some have turned to very creative mask ideas to keep themselves safe. But according to Leora Horwitz, a doctor and director at the Center for Healthcare Innovation, all the buzz is for nothing, because the masks don’t protect people from catching a virus. Plus, Horwitz shared her experience with a tedious face mask test that she is required to pass ever year, which suggests that most of us have no clue how to use them.
Let’s get into the doctor’s Twitter post, which will hopefully make some reconsider spending money on something you don’t need unless COVID-19 has already been detected in your system.
You can view a constantly-updated model of how much the virus has spread globally right here.
During the global COVID-19 crisis, protective masks have become a sort of luxury
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“Long thread ahead!” warned the doctor before explaining how face masks really work
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It turns out that the shortage of protective masks isn’t the only problem the US has to tackle amid the coronavirus. Stephan Hahn, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner, said that nearly a million coronavirus test kits would be ready by the end of this week at a press briefing on Monday. However, the White House admitted that the Trump administration will not be able to meet this objective. Mike Pence, who is in charge of the country’s response to the outbreak, made an unsettling statement: “We don’t have enough tests today to meet what we anticipate will be the demand going forward.”
More doctors showed how the tedious face mask fitting test looks
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Others blamed the flawed protective mask supply chain
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These Twitter users defended the practice of wearing masks
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And this guy took the anti-virus mask a tiny bit too literally
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This is what people had to say
Some considerations to put in perspective: Wearing a simple mask will not protect you 100% from virus but it will reduce the transmission for many other reasons. The first one being to avoid putting your finger in your mouth. We are not here to be as clean as a doctor, but reducing the risk is already a first step.
I started wearing a mask this week on the subway. I live in Toronto (Canada) and EVERY YEAR people sneeze on the subway without covering their mouths; 3 different times since this past November alone! I can still feel the spray on my neck when I think about it. The masks I use are ones I bought last summer when my mom developed pneumonia and I had to take care of her. I'm not taking anyone else's supply, and I always carry an extra to give to someone who is coughing/sneezing without one.
Load More Replies...Sounds nice but not true, unfortunately. Numerous studies showed that N95 masks do protect regular people against "influenza-like" viruses. One of which I'll cite [1]. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2662657/
The mask may protect, but it is saying that the protection is wasted because of mistakes when putting in the mask like improper fit that make the mask useless and waste it when doctor who are work near sick don't have access to the low supply of masks. Also, even if the seal is right, it would be hard to disinfect your body if you were wearing mask like hands, clothes and on the mask. It is better for the sick and doctor to use the limited supply
Load More Replies...If we are all that dumb and don't know how to use those masks, especially how to take them off, which was emphasized so heavily, then maybe make a post EDUCATING people, instead of pointing out how stupid they are. Because they will still buy them - they are on the market and are not exclusive only to medical workers. If regular people knew how to use them, it would be a benefit in the long run.
it did educate, it was just emphasizing how the proper way is very labor intensive that normal people don't or cant do such as the sugar test above. I understand your frustration of lack of education to people who buy masks, but it is saying not to waste time/money if you are healthy. The protocols are difficult to execute and unnecessary if you are not around sick people all the time. The supply is limited for professional and citizens so use masks if you are around the sick or are sick yourself.
Load More Replies...re: guy smoking while wearing the mask, at least he didnt cut a hole into it lol. Been there, saw that...
Smoking is already an irrational act. It’s no surprise the same person is doing other irrational things.
Load More Replies...This doctor is at best is extremely lacking in knowledge regarding masks or at worst a government puppet sprouting misinformation. I said this a month ago and now its been confirmed by all reputable news sources: the reason the government is discouraging people from buying/wearing masks that are effective is not because "science says they don't work" but because the government was highly negligent and never kept the recommended reserves for a situation like this. What this doctor isn't telling you is that a $32 (before the price spike) half face P100 respirator essentially prevents 100% of all particles from entering your respiratory system. This is provided you wear it properly. Believe it or not wearing it properly is quite easy. Combine this with a good set of googles and its almost impossible for you to get infected.
(1) Unfortunately, Dr. Leora Horwitz is miseducated, delivering her falsity with a degree of arrogance we have not seen since Henry VIII. (2) Listen to the South Korean doctor in charge of handling covid management who emphasizes organization, implementation, and sharing information with calm intelligence and humility. (3) Interview with him is on the Asian Boss vid entitled "you need to listen to this leading covid-19 expert" or if you feel comfortable, it's here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAk7aX5hksU
Just order most stores to give their stock of masks to the nearest hospital/medical facility. Make like a temporary mandate. So what they lose a little money on the sale of this particular item. Riteaid, CVS, dollar store, dollar general, family Dollar, and the like, all of them just hand over the masks to a hospital. Trump and W.H.O. could state that right now. Us regular people are only trying to do what we can to protect ourselves, so you can't fault us for making attempts.
I actually bought masks a few months back that are designed to protect you from heavy duty fumes while cleaning. They work just as well for protecting you from foreign bodies that can cause sickness. I'm glad I never used them back then. I still have them.
Masks are pointless unless you're trying to help prevent others from your cold or flu.
Load More Replies...People are such fools, they believe anything their government tells them!
Remembering this post is here has been bugging me for two months. Didn't age well did it? Masks don't protect people? Stick it in your ear.
[Yawn] Some protection is much better than no protection. Based on the author's "logic" healthcare workers should probably use full level 4 bio lab gear including the positive pressure suit or just use nothing. Sorry that your hospitals, which gouge every patient who walks through the door, didn't stockpile basic PPE for you, and equally sorry many of you so called "professionals" failed to do it yourselves, but, as somebody who paid $11K for a 21 hour nothing all that special hospital stay that didn't even solve or really even address the presenting problem, if you want any of my masks it will cost you $100 each. Not to mention many of us need them for occupational reasons as much or more than healthcare workers. Try breathing black mold contaminated air without any protective gear all day and let me know how that works out, so that will be $100 plus your sincere thanks for allowing you to purchase some.
Actually my mom is a nurse and she said it’s pretty much impossible for people to not ‘touch their faces’.. also she wear the n95 at work as well and has to be fitted every year for it. She also says that, while the cloth masks are great for people with allergies or immune issues, or if they are meds that cause them to be immune compromised it does not really help people who may not have any health issues at all. Also here is a idea for people who are ill from one health care worker : If your sick, stay home! Even if you have mild symptoms.
The N95 may provide some protection. However, cutting up an old tee shirt and making a mask from that is pointless. If that makes you feel good then do it. but it's no where near providing you the protection you may think it does.
Everyone on this thread is an expert. An Expert is simply someone who has a slightly more knowledge in a particular area then most. It does not mean they are all knowing. Being professional has nothing to do with said knowledge. That said, Wearing a mask in public is simply not needed unless you are sick. Period........
Wearing any type of mask when going to a store or out and about is simply not needed unless you are sick. In which case, you should be at home. Could we all not be sheep? We have demostrated to the evil among us that we will panic at the slightest event presented to us by the goverment. As a result of the virus, we have enabled the goverment to take our basic freedoms away in less then a few weeks. All based on computer modles the doctors themselfs say is not that reliable. Come on people, think get out of the cloud. How far will you go under the assumption of keeping yourself safe. If you think wearing a mask is right for you, go ahead and wear it. Don't infringe on those who think otherwise.
Please look up "asymptomatic" and apply it in this case. People can spread this, and other illnesses, without ever being "sick".
Load More Replies...I had a dentist appointment today. I asked him if there was any trouble getting their masks they always wear. He said "we can't get them. At all. We have been ordering the same amount for over 30 y and now, we can hardly get ANY. (If you are reading this, and you are hoarding tp, masks, & Clorox wipes, you're creating pandemonium and you need to be stopped.)
I have actually had chemotherapy for 15 months. My immune system was weakened during my treatment. I had a bit of a cold once and had to wear a mask at the hospital during my infusion.
What I keep seeing is, people wearing masks, and then reaching up to scratch their face or rub their eyes, or wear it with the nose uncovered, its rediculous
It's quite amazing that when a professional tells people that wearing a mask is useless against a virus, there's always people saying that the professional is wrong.
The reality is a bit different: Less effective is not useless.
Load More Replies...Yes, and sneezing into your elbow never catches ALL the germs and is therefore useless? Save the elbows for the professionals who know how to use them you selfish bumbling idiot!
a straw man argument if I ever saw one Dianna, we can all hope your doctors will be selfLESS in the future and give their masks to the pedestrians who really need them
Load More Replies...The OP is correct. FOr people askign "Why don't hospitals have a supply... wah wah..." Well, they get the supplies the same place consumers do. So when consumers panic and buy out the supply? HOSPITALS AND DOCTORS OFFICES SUFFER. Respirator masks like n95 must be FITTED. The other ones are only to stop particulates being coughed out by SICK people.... they don't help healthy people not get sick! WASH YOUR HANDS, AVOID PUBLIC SPACES i fyou're that worried, and stop hoarding! (And selling on e-Bay for ridiculous profit.) Please visit WHO's website on Covid-19 for mythbusting on these matters....
Masks promise an easy safety measure. People do not like to think hard but find easy solutions – even if they are just illusions. Like body scanners at airports, walls to other countries, blaming of foreigners, and judging others that you hardly know. Sadly, idiots in masks cannot be distinguished from reasonable people in masks who protect others.
What you say makes sense, but here in Korea there is a social pressure that makes people wear masks. And yes, although everyone knows there's a shortage, you're still forced to wear one.
Load More Replies...Some considerations to put in perspective: Wearing a simple mask will not protect you 100% from virus but it will reduce the transmission for many other reasons. The first one being to avoid putting your finger in your mouth. We are not here to be as clean as a doctor, but reducing the risk is already a first step.
I started wearing a mask this week on the subway. I live in Toronto (Canada) and EVERY YEAR people sneeze on the subway without covering their mouths; 3 different times since this past November alone! I can still feel the spray on my neck when I think about it. The masks I use are ones I bought last summer when my mom developed pneumonia and I had to take care of her. I'm not taking anyone else's supply, and I always carry an extra to give to someone who is coughing/sneezing without one.
Load More Replies...Sounds nice but not true, unfortunately. Numerous studies showed that N95 masks do protect regular people against "influenza-like" viruses. One of which I'll cite [1]. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2662657/
The mask may protect, but it is saying that the protection is wasted because of mistakes when putting in the mask like improper fit that make the mask useless and waste it when doctor who are work near sick don't have access to the low supply of masks. Also, even if the seal is right, it would be hard to disinfect your body if you were wearing mask like hands, clothes and on the mask. It is better for the sick and doctor to use the limited supply
Load More Replies...If we are all that dumb and don't know how to use those masks, especially how to take them off, which was emphasized so heavily, then maybe make a post EDUCATING people, instead of pointing out how stupid they are. Because they will still buy them - they are on the market and are not exclusive only to medical workers. If regular people knew how to use them, it would be a benefit in the long run.
it did educate, it was just emphasizing how the proper way is very labor intensive that normal people don't or cant do such as the sugar test above. I understand your frustration of lack of education to people who buy masks, but it is saying not to waste time/money if you are healthy. The protocols are difficult to execute and unnecessary if you are not around sick people all the time. The supply is limited for professional and citizens so use masks if you are around the sick or are sick yourself.
Load More Replies...re: guy smoking while wearing the mask, at least he didnt cut a hole into it lol. Been there, saw that...
Smoking is already an irrational act. It’s no surprise the same person is doing other irrational things.
Load More Replies...This doctor is at best is extremely lacking in knowledge regarding masks or at worst a government puppet sprouting misinformation. I said this a month ago and now its been confirmed by all reputable news sources: the reason the government is discouraging people from buying/wearing masks that are effective is not because "science says they don't work" but because the government was highly negligent and never kept the recommended reserves for a situation like this. What this doctor isn't telling you is that a $32 (before the price spike) half face P100 respirator essentially prevents 100% of all particles from entering your respiratory system. This is provided you wear it properly. Believe it or not wearing it properly is quite easy. Combine this with a good set of googles and its almost impossible for you to get infected.
(1) Unfortunately, Dr. Leora Horwitz is miseducated, delivering her falsity with a degree of arrogance we have not seen since Henry VIII. (2) Listen to the South Korean doctor in charge of handling covid management who emphasizes organization, implementation, and sharing information with calm intelligence and humility. (3) Interview with him is on the Asian Boss vid entitled "you need to listen to this leading covid-19 expert" or if you feel comfortable, it's here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAk7aX5hksU
Just order most stores to give their stock of masks to the nearest hospital/medical facility. Make like a temporary mandate. So what they lose a little money on the sale of this particular item. Riteaid, CVS, dollar store, dollar general, family Dollar, and the like, all of them just hand over the masks to a hospital. Trump and W.H.O. could state that right now. Us regular people are only trying to do what we can to protect ourselves, so you can't fault us for making attempts.
I actually bought masks a few months back that are designed to protect you from heavy duty fumes while cleaning. They work just as well for protecting you from foreign bodies that can cause sickness. I'm glad I never used them back then. I still have them.
Masks are pointless unless you're trying to help prevent others from your cold or flu.
Load More Replies...People are such fools, they believe anything their government tells them!
Remembering this post is here has been bugging me for two months. Didn't age well did it? Masks don't protect people? Stick it in your ear.
[Yawn] Some protection is much better than no protection. Based on the author's "logic" healthcare workers should probably use full level 4 bio lab gear including the positive pressure suit or just use nothing. Sorry that your hospitals, which gouge every patient who walks through the door, didn't stockpile basic PPE for you, and equally sorry many of you so called "professionals" failed to do it yourselves, but, as somebody who paid $11K for a 21 hour nothing all that special hospital stay that didn't even solve or really even address the presenting problem, if you want any of my masks it will cost you $100 each. Not to mention many of us need them for occupational reasons as much or more than healthcare workers. Try breathing black mold contaminated air without any protective gear all day and let me know how that works out, so that will be $100 plus your sincere thanks for allowing you to purchase some.
Actually my mom is a nurse and she said it’s pretty much impossible for people to not ‘touch their faces’.. also she wear the n95 at work as well and has to be fitted every year for it. She also says that, while the cloth masks are great for people with allergies or immune issues, or if they are meds that cause them to be immune compromised it does not really help people who may not have any health issues at all. Also here is a idea for people who are ill from one health care worker : If your sick, stay home! Even if you have mild symptoms.
The N95 may provide some protection. However, cutting up an old tee shirt and making a mask from that is pointless. If that makes you feel good then do it. but it's no where near providing you the protection you may think it does.
Everyone on this thread is an expert. An Expert is simply someone who has a slightly more knowledge in a particular area then most. It does not mean they are all knowing. Being professional has nothing to do with said knowledge. That said, Wearing a mask in public is simply not needed unless you are sick. Period........
Wearing any type of mask when going to a store or out and about is simply not needed unless you are sick. In which case, you should be at home. Could we all not be sheep? We have demostrated to the evil among us that we will panic at the slightest event presented to us by the goverment. As a result of the virus, we have enabled the goverment to take our basic freedoms away in less then a few weeks. All based on computer modles the doctors themselfs say is not that reliable. Come on people, think get out of the cloud. How far will you go under the assumption of keeping yourself safe. If you think wearing a mask is right for you, go ahead and wear it. Don't infringe on those who think otherwise.
Please look up "asymptomatic" and apply it in this case. People can spread this, and other illnesses, without ever being "sick".
Load More Replies...I had a dentist appointment today. I asked him if there was any trouble getting their masks they always wear. He said "we can't get them. At all. We have been ordering the same amount for over 30 y and now, we can hardly get ANY. (If you are reading this, and you are hoarding tp, masks, & Clorox wipes, you're creating pandemonium and you need to be stopped.)
I have actually had chemotherapy for 15 months. My immune system was weakened during my treatment. I had a bit of a cold once and had to wear a mask at the hospital during my infusion.
What I keep seeing is, people wearing masks, and then reaching up to scratch their face or rub their eyes, or wear it with the nose uncovered, its rediculous
It's quite amazing that when a professional tells people that wearing a mask is useless against a virus, there's always people saying that the professional is wrong.
The reality is a bit different: Less effective is not useless.
Load More Replies...Yes, and sneezing into your elbow never catches ALL the germs and is therefore useless? Save the elbows for the professionals who know how to use them you selfish bumbling idiot!
a straw man argument if I ever saw one Dianna, we can all hope your doctors will be selfLESS in the future and give their masks to the pedestrians who really need them
Load More Replies...The OP is correct. FOr people askign "Why don't hospitals have a supply... wah wah..." Well, they get the supplies the same place consumers do. So when consumers panic and buy out the supply? HOSPITALS AND DOCTORS OFFICES SUFFER. Respirator masks like n95 must be FITTED. The other ones are only to stop particulates being coughed out by SICK people.... they don't help healthy people not get sick! WASH YOUR HANDS, AVOID PUBLIC SPACES i fyou're that worried, and stop hoarding! (And selling on e-Bay for ridiculous profit.) Please visit WHO's website on Covid-19 for mythbusting on these matters....
Masks promise an easy safety measure. People do not like to think hard but find easy solutions – even if they are just illusions. Like body scanners at airports, walls to other countries, blaming of foreigners, and judging others that you hardly know. Sadly, idiots in masks cannot be distinguished from reasonable people in masks who protect others.
What you say makes sense, but here in Korea there is a social pressure that makes people wear masks. And yes, although everyone knows there's a shortage, you're still forced to wear one.
Load More Replies...
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