Coronavirus in Massachusetts (Boston: oven, build, ethnicity)

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Bridge781

Why has there been so much mixed info on masks. People have been told they’re not effective yet the medical world is desperate for them. I guess they seem better than nothing but clearly they haven’t been all that effective.

The N95s are effective, the regular "respirators" not so much.

[Bridge781]

I’m seeing many people sewing masks out of regular fabric and donating them to hospitals. It’s a beautiful effort but i don’t know how protective they are unless they’re worn over the n95’s.

[Bridge781]

I haven’t worn a mask or plastic gloves when I’ve gone out. I’ve taken quite a few other precautions but haven’t gone to those lengths.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by Bridge781

I’m seeing many people sewing masks out of regular fabric and donating them to hospitals. It’s a beautiful effort but i don’t know how protective they are unless they’re worn over the n95’s.

The N95 masks are reserved for front line staff. A lot of hospitals are allowing everyone else to wear whatever they want. There are a lot of people in the building who aren’t delivering care who are feeling very uncomfortable. A mask at least keeps your hands away from your face.

[charolastra00]

Originally Posted by Arya Stark

I would also point out that in China for their 84K cases they had 3000 deaths. We have 1/2 of that.

I just don't think it is realistic to compare a free country to a communist one on the idea of locking down the country. America simply can't go too far and would likely face push back. That is the country we choose to live in.

I would point out that it's ridiculous to compare the death rate of a country theoretically at coming out of the parabola versus a country going into it. People die 3-4 weeks after exposure.

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by Bridge781

I’m seeing many people sewing masks out of regular fabric and donating them to hospitals. It’s a beautiful effort but i don’t know how protective they are unless they’re worn over the n95’s.

We’ve tested them. An N95 is about 99.5% efficient. There are n99 and n100 masks that are 99.9% and 99.97% efficient, but they are hard to breath out of so they tend to feature exhaust valves.

A cotton t shirt is about 75% efficient. A silk scarf is about 54%

Those numbers are rated at the MPPS (most penetrating particle size) which can be around 50-120nm.

The glob of spit that comes out of your mouth is much bigger. So even the silk will do a great job of protecting you in that case. The (hard to find) n95 however will be preferred if in an environment where the virus is suspended in the air column. Your more likely to encounter that in a ICU ward where patients are coughing and sneezing, that going for a walk in your neighborhood and saying hi to your neighbor. That’s why the n95s are reserved for front line use.

There’s my geek moment for the night.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

Regarding the comparison to the flu: the data indicates that Covid-19 is 2x more contagious than influenza and 10x more fatal for those that catch it than influenza. Lay people ranting about it may not recognize what the implications of that are, but they are very serious!

Having said that, the mandates for mitigation up until now have been pretty broad, blunt instruments. To mitigate the economic fallout, it makes sense to adjust them per the geographic region based on local severity, and to adjust them per the criticality of the industry. It doesn't need to be a single, nationwide policy.

How would that work? For example if the virus is under control in Contra Costa County and half the residents commute to Oakland or San Francisco where the virus is rampant what are you accomplishing? It's not like 1840 where no one goes further than the local general store

[redplum33]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Prior to all of the shut downs, there were thousands of people traveling between Boston and China every day. Not even close to all of them were Chinese

And yet all of the hot spots in the US just happen to be the places with the largest Chinese populations in the US. Sorry but it's not a coincidence.

New Orleans is the (recent) exception due to mass spreading at Mardi Gras.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

We’ve tested them. An N95 is about 99.5% efficient. There are n99 and n100 masks that are 99.9% and 99.97% efficient, but they are hard to breath out of so they tend to feature exhaust valves.

A cotton t shirt is about 75% efficient. A silk scarf is about 54%

Those numbers are rated at the MPPS (most penetrating particle size) which can be around 50-120nm.

The glob of spit that comes out of your mouth is much bigger. So even the silk will do a great job of protecting you in that case. The (hard to find) n95 however will be preferred if in an environment where the virus is suspended in the air column. Your more likely to encounter that in a ICU ward where patients are coughing and sneezing, that going for a walk in your neighborhood and saying hi to your neighbor. That’s why the n95s are reserved for front line use.
There’s my geek moment for the night.

Thanks for posting, that's good information. Question - is there a way to clean an N95 mask for reuse?

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

Thanks for posting, that's good information. Question - is there a way to clean an N95 mask for reuse?

Reports suggest baking the masks at 160-200deg has been proven effective - a poor man's sterilization.

Not sure if this works for vented N95s though. The ones in my wood shop have an elastomeric valve and, assuming it's not something expensive like silicone or santoprene, it might not hold up well.