WHO updates their recommendations to advise masking by "anyone in a crowded, enclosed, or poorly ventilated space" regardless of local epidemiological conditions in light of its global spread.
#COVID #BringBackMasks
https://www.who.int/news/item/13-01-2023-who-updates-covid-19-guidelines-on-masks--treatments-and-patient-care
@rchusid This should have been the norm for the past 3 years
Why is no one talking about using UV-C to eliminate COVID (and all other air-bourne viruses) in enclosed spaces?
I use a portable, affordable HEPA / UV-C combination air filter in my home and in my gallery studio.
Columbia University has done all the research.
@tero Sounds even worse than here in the United States. We have boosters available, but too few are getting them. Isolation recommended for five days is better than nothing even if too short. CDC policy acts to dissuade mask use.
@rchusid I'm not even sure why they decided to stop masking recommendations everywhere.
Oh wait, it was the antimaskers that won that round and we're all still paying for it.
@rchusid it’s criminal that it took them this long.
@rchusid lol, nobody is wearing masks in Davos.
@rchusid or maybe "crying on the inside" is more accurate than lol, I don't know.
@rchusid we should have spent the last 3 years preparing ourselves for pandemics that will be become more frequent in the future.
Hardening our indoor spaces, public policies that would address the challenges of outbreaks and educating the public on masking and vaccination.
Instead we got political opportunism, bribes through one time harmful tax breaks and billion dollar highways to nowhere.
All topped off by a plan to accelerate biodiversity loss in a ecologically sensitive environment.
@rchusid one of the very things that is contributing to pandemics.
@rchusid hello!working in the ER didn’t need WHO to tell me.Mask Up people there are a lot of viruses out there!
@rchusid Illustrates this with a baggy blue over a beard
@rchusid Someday maybe we’ll consider doin this to *prevent* surges instead of react to them?
@rchusid Only took 3 years…
@rchusid Nothing like being 3 years late to the party.
@rchusid I wonder if this will have any effect in the Finnish guidelines, which have entirely given up on both masking, and distributing vaccines to the entire population. They only recently decided to release the vaccine to the private sector, so now unless you are an elderly person, or in a high risk group, you will have to pay to get vaccinated
@rchusid
I've never stopped wearing a mask in public. I'm convinced that wearing a mask, and taking a few other precautions, has kept me healthy. I used to get two colds every year. I haven't had one since the winter of 2018.
@rchusid I’ve started masking indoors again. #covid #wearAMask
@MidLifeBroad @rchusid Wearing a mask has mutated into an intelligence test
@rchusid It would be more helpful for our health institutions to come to their senses BEFORE we're fully embedded in a crisis.
@rchusid Now we just need @WHO to mention #N95, #N99, #P100, #FFP2, #FFP3, #P3, #KF94, and/or #KN95 #elastomeric #respirators -- the ones which *work* -- rather than just vaguely saying "masks".
Cloth & surgical junk masks are 30% effective -- better than nothing.
#N95 and reusable #P100 #elastomeric #respirators are >95% effective -- MUCH better. And they're cheap enough.
@swhunter7 @neroden @rchusid @masknerd
As PPE for high risk workers, #masks are nothing. But as a population intervention they are very significant. This is a critical distinction. As an OccDoc, I insist workers be protected and advise high risk patients to use an #N95 because 30 to 50% risk reduction is not enough on an individual basis. But at a population level that translates to a 50-75% reduction in transmission. That is way better than nothing.
@swhunter7 @neroden @rchusid @masknerd@mstdn.
Wide spread use of masks, not respirators would significantly reduce transmission. It is almost as good as ventilation, filtration, and air disinfection. But the latter can be achieved without infringing on behavior and without the very annoying social barriers masks put between us.
Why isn’t WHO talking about these much more socially acceptable interventions?
@Don_Milton @neroden @rchusid
“Wide spread use” and “population intervention” are the key phrases here; and without those, transmission won’t be reduced. In the current environment of pandemic denial, we have no other choice than to seek the best possible personal protection.
@Don_Milton @swhunter7 @neroden @rchusid
One thing that I would like to add is that earloop respirators(such as the KN95 and KF94 formats) have no downsides when compared to surgical masks. They offer better filtration, easier to breathe in, more protection(2x-7x) and easier to talk in. So to me there is no "cost" to moving the minimum to an earloop format. N95's and headband respirators start to have some trade offs. Widespread use of earloops would even be more impactful at very little cost
@masknerd @Don_Milton @swhunter7 @neroden I use N-95s with patients but often use a KN-95 for things like running into a store as it is more convenient. Different KN-95s do fit differently so I use ones with a tighter fit.
@masknerd @Don_Milton @swhunter7 @neroden @rchusid I bought a bunch of KF94s when it became apparent that we need to up out game. I do use an some plastic hooks that came with them to connect the ear loops for a more snug fit.
@johnvan54 @masknerd @Don_Milton @swhunter7 @neroden There are a variety of things sold to get a tighter fit when using ear loops. I use them sometimes but generally limit to KN95s and KF 94s which already have a tight fit and use N95's when around patients or inside a public place for a long time.
@masknerd @swhunter7 @neroden @rchusid
The trade offs between fit and filter flow resistance create, I think, some initially surprising results in how well they work as source control.
I’m currently a fan of ACI duckbill surgical N95s. Although the straps don’t last long before stretching out, they are very comfortable, have low flow resistance, and I personally passed a quantitative fit test with it (FF >200). As with all respirators- your fit may vary.
@Don_Milton @masknerd @swhunter7 @rchusid
Yeah, I think those tradeoffs are counterintuitive. The 3M 6100/6200/6300 ( #P100 ) seems to last for years, has very low flow resistance, has excellent fit (for my family), and has good source control with the add-on filter #604.
People don't generally realize that the more "industrial"-looking masks are typically more comfortable.
@masknerd @Don_Milton @swhunter7 @rchusid
I found disposable #N95-style headband respirators a pain to take on and off.
However, the 3M 6300, which is a #P100 #elastomeric, was *easier* to take on and off as an earloop mask, because the neck part of the headband has a "snap" or fastener in the back. REALLY easy.
Earloop masks have more leakage around the sides than headband masks, according to studies, due to wiggling ears. And the stress on the ears hurts.
So I now recommend #P100s
@neroden @masknerd @Don_Milton @swhunter7 @rchusid In the more standard N95 space, you might check out the Dräger 1750. It uses a single elastic band looped through both sides of the respirator to give you the standard two headband sections. This means it can be pulled all the way through to expand the neck loop for donning like a loose necklace. Then, the face covering gets put in place and the strap is pulled back through to place over your head. It's one of the smoothest don/doff experiences.
@Texan_Reverend @neroden @masknerd @Don_Milton @swhunter7 Thanks for the suggestion. I'm ordering a pack to add to my collection.
@rchusid @swhunter7 @rebecca_canada It's been a while, but I thought I'd update that the Dräger 1950 N95 is available on Amazon and is part of the same 1900 series as the 1920 FFP2 and 1930 FFP3 that have done so well in FitTestThePlanet's testing, comparable to or better than a 3M Aura. It also uses a single headband looped through both sides of the respirator, so if you liked that aspect of the 1750, the 1950 should provide you even better protection with similar ease of donning and doffing.
@Don_Milton @swhunter7 @neroden @Texan_Reverend @rchusid @masknerd We tried a lot of N95’s and the Drager 1750 was what we settled on for fit and comfort. The elastic is the kind used for clothing and we haven’t had one break. I have 5 in circulation rotating one every day. Easy to take on and off.
@Texan_Reverend @neroden @masknerd @Don_Milton @rchusid
Tested 2/18/22. 99.73 filtration efficiency. Not too shabby!
@Don_Milton @swhunter7 @neroden @rchusid @masknerd
if R0=12, 75% reduction means Re=3, still exponential growth leading to infection of the whole population. I want masking+NPIs strong enough to reduce Re below 1.0 Probably hard, but (now that China has surrendered) no one even tries.
@Don_Milton @swhunter7 @rchusid @masknerd
Here's my priority issue:
Currently, in the United States, DOCTORS, NURSES, and medical staff are not being issued with #N95 or (reusable, cheaper in the long run) #P100. Same in the UK.
WHO needs to get the DOCTORS, NURSES, and medical staff doing the right thing to start with.
Medical offices listen to WHO. WHO needs to start talking about #respirators so that DOCTORS will do the right thing.
@Don_Milton @swhunter7 @rchusid @masknerd
Right now, doctors, nurses, and medical staff are routinely getting infected at work AND routinely infecting patients.
This is gross negligence, it's medical malpractice, and it's happening because WHO and CDC keep spreading disinformation.
WHO and CDC should be telling them that they need #P100 or #N95 #respirator #masks.
@Don_Milton @swhunter7 @rchusid @masknerd
UK Hospital acquired Covid. This should be ZERO. Instead, it's very high.
@Don_Milton @swhunter7 @rchusid @masknerd
A couple of weeks ago, I called 15 eye doctor offices. Exactly 1 was using proper PPE. About half were using no masks at all; the other half junky surgical masks.
This is gross negligence. Doctors are killing and crippling patients, because they're not using the right PPE. This is the fault of WHO.
@Don_Milton @swhunter7 @rchusid @masknerd
In general, I can avoid unsafe environments and "vote with my feet". But it starts creating severe problems when I have to avoid doctors and hospitals. This is unacceptable and it MUST change
@neroden @rchusid @masknerd @swhunter7
Worth noting too, that the range of ‘things’ that fall under ‘cloth mask’ is very wide, from multilayered, well made and fitted masks with quality fabrics to a single layer gaiter pulled over the face.
@DavidM_yeg @neroden @rchusid @masknerd
I recall, in the time before the general public could access medical-grade masks, that some cloth masks made from certain chiffons that could carry an electrostatic charge were claimed to have filtration efficiencies similar to N95s; but I know of no accessible empirical test that verifies that.
@swhunter7 @DavidM_yeg @neroden @masknerd Yes, early on there were claims for this. It may or may not be accurate but these days it just seems simpler to go with an N-95, or at least a tight fitting KN-95.
@rchusid @swhunter7 @DavidM_yeg @neroden @masknerd the problem with KN95’s is that 1. It’s not an independently verified standard 2. People often wear them without using the nose strip to actually seal against the face & 3. Earloop stuff is nowhere near as sealed as headband stuff. KF94’s for their odd construction are actually certified & actually work despite the earloop design. KN95’s should honestly not be seen as a real option.
@TransitBiker @rchusid @DavidM_yeg @neroden @masknerd
I carry the Armbrust KN95 with me at all times as a backup (NASA maxim: never rely on the backup). Works great when I have to clear the dryer screen & don’t want to breathe the lint.
@TransitBiker @swhunter7 @DavidM_yeg @neroden @masknerd It depends on the mask. Fit and proper use make a huge difference. I use N-95s when with patients but will sometimes quickly throw on a KN-95 when doing something like running into a store. I only use ones which do fit me tightly and of course use a tight nose strip. I also have some KF-94s. Some have straps to tighten which I like but I have others which I don't use as they do not have as good a fit.
@rchusid @swhunter7 @DavidM_yeg @neroden @masknerd Yes! One of the big issues is people have different shaped faces and you want to find the best most economically sensible, most protecting mask for your face shape and use case scenario. I really do wish there was a one size fits all very inexpensive ubiquitous solution for this.
@masknerd @swhunter7 @neroden @rchusid
We made and used cloth masks until the end of 2021. Society’s changing attitudes toward universal masking and the advent of a much more contagious virus caused us to level up to CN95s (canadian earloop) We searched around to find good fits for the face sizes and shapes in our family and so far so good.
@DavidM_yeg @masknerd @swhunter7 @neroden It was with Delta that I ended my last use of surgical masks (for lower risk situations) and went exclusively to KN-95s or better.
@swhunter7 @neroden @rchusid @masknerd I asked a neighbour if they’d be happy using an old faded & frayed seatbelt, given that it would be better than nothing.
@rchusid So, since most schools suffer from being ALL 3 - crowded, enclosed, AND poorly ventilated - we should expect CDC, state Boards of Education, and local School Committees to quickly enact policies to protect our teachers' and children's current and future health!! ...Right?! Hello?
I won't hold my breath. Instead I'll just continue to stew over the lack of public health that defines this pandemic.