DIY Mask Designs

[Andrew Joiner]

I made one. Just a t-shirt with my head thru the sleeve. A dish towel( tea towel) as a 2nd layer is tested to be more effective. I'll tuck it into the turtle neck shirt I'll wear. The gap at the nose is held tight by my eyeglasses and chums.

Looks like this:

http://stcgrupo.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/neck-face-mask-magic-headband-elastic-breathable-gaiter-warmer-tube-scarf-half-tactical-bicycle-balaclava-bandana-masks-v.jpg

[Andrew Joiner]

This site has info on testing of homemade mask materials:
https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-materials-make-diy-face-mask-virus/

[Ole Anderson]

When I see that mask I think of the folks streaming out of the WTC on 9-11 faces covered in ash and debris. How many could have just pulled up an undershirt over their nose?

[Jim Becker]

Professor Dr. SWMBO's V1 is quite stylin'.... next version will have a pocket for additional filtration as well as a metallic object that will allow forming back around the nose for proper close fit.

429181

[Doug Dawson]

I made one. Just a t-shirt with my head thru the sleeve. A dish towel( tea towel) as a 2nd layer is tested to be more effective. I'll tuck it into the turtle neck shirt I'll wear. The gap at the nose is held tight by my eyeglasses and chums.

Looks like this:

http://stcgrupo.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/neck-face-mask-magic-headband-elastic-breathable-gaiter-warmer-tube-scarf-half-tactical-bicycle-balaclava-bandana-masks-v.jpg

You can call that one "the Bank Teller Special"| :^)

[Andrew Joiner]

You can call that one "the Bank Teller Special"| :^)

I thought that too Doug, but last week I saw several people at the grocery store with scarves and masks on. No one called the cops.
In fact if your coughing or sneezing WITHOUT a mask on in stores people may call the cops :)

[Lon Crosby]

Best sterilization approach for re-use of personal protective gear is probably an ozone bath. Ozone will kill everything, even a non-living coronavirus. Just know what you are doing because it is only safe when used appropriately.

[Andrew Joiner]

Funny how the information on masks changes as time goes on. Every day more experts say it's good for everyone to wear masks when they leave the house.

[Roger Feeley]

I think masks for all are kind of inevitable. There are two approaches to getting out of this thing:

1. Deliberately build herd immunity.
a. To do that somewhere between 50-66% of the population must get sick and recover. We have 327 million people. Even using 1% fatality (low), that's 3.27 million deaths.
b. vaccinate to get to herd immunity
2. Test, track and quarantine like crazy. That path requires us to be very vigilant over the next 18 months or so until a vaccine is available. To hold infections to a minimum, masks are pretty much required. Since individuals are contagious several days before showing symptoms, we can't just 'stay home if we have a fever'.

[Kev Williams]

Best sterilization approach for re-use of personal protective gear is probably an ozone bath. Ozone will kill everything, even a non-living coronavirus. Just know what you are doing because it is only safe when used appropriately.

So then, my 3-ppm sodium di-chlorinated / ozone generated neutral pH 103° hot tub water should be the ideal laundromat for cleaning masks and PP gear.... or..?
(hey, I don't know!)

[David Bassett]

So then, my 3-ppm sodium di-chlorinated / ozone generated neutral pH 103° hot tub water should be the ideal laundromat for cleaning masks and PP gear.... or..?
(hey, I don't know!)

A Post in Another Thread (https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?281584-Anyone-know-who-has-N95-resperators-in-stock&p=3006817#post3006817) points to a study of sanitizing "single use" masks for reuse. They didn't evaluate all failure modes, but some methods, e.g. alcohol, compromised the properties they tested. Before you rely on any home remedies you may want to read the study and the FAQ they have up.

[Mike Henderson]

I think masks for all are kind of inevitable. There are two approaches to getting out of this thing:

1. Deliberately build herd immunity.
a. To do that somewhere between 50-66% of the population must get sick and recover. We have 327 million people. Even using 1% fatality (low), that's 3.27 million deaths.
b. vaccinate to get to herd immunity
2. Test, track and quarantine like crazy. That path requires us to be very vigilant over the next 18 months or so until a vaccine is available. To hold infections to a minimum, masks are pretty much required. Since individuals are contagious several days before showing symptoms, we can't just 'stay home if we have a fever'.

Just a mathematics comment. If 50% of the population gets the virus, that's 163 million. If 1% of those cases results in death, that's 1.63 million people. Still a lot, however.

Mike

[Right now, the CDC is reporting 53,000 deaths and about 1,000,000 cases. That's a 5% death rate. But many people are getting the disease and are not getting counted so the actual death rate is certainly lower. And the death rate is different for different age groups.]

[Roger Feeley]

Oops. My mistake.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

Scientific studies in hospital settings have found that plain cloth masks only prevent about 5% of the virus from getting through compared to no mask at all. They can and do keep out some bacteria, molds, dust etc. I.E. virtually worthless for virus protection.

[Andrew Joiner]

Scientific studies in hospital settings have found that plain cloth masks only prevent about 5% of the virus from getting through compared to no mask at all. They can and do keep out some bacteria, molds, dust etc. I.E. virtually worthless for virus protection.

Do you have any links to those studies?

This study shows t-shirt cloth blocks 70% of particles 5 times smaller than the coronavirus, while 89% are blocked by a surgical mask: https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-materials-make-diy-face-mask-virus/

[Kev Williams]

thinking out loud in a mix of what I think I know and pure conjecture here... ;)

The actual spacing of plain cloth woven fibers is, I'm sure, way too large to prevent a typical(?) virus from passing thru, whereas the fiber/weave spacing in 'good' masks is much smaller, and will stop most viruses. --I assume--

Therefore, using actual ratio's of virus size to the spacing of the "holes in the fence" to prevent it from getting thru, then I can believe studies that say only 5% of viruses can be blocked by the "fence"; 95% of them will fit thru the holes, while 5% are too big or will get trapped.

Speaking of trapped; a plain cloth "fence", has lots of stray fibers surrounding the woven 'holes' that a virus could get trapped in. And it seems only logical those fibers WILL trap many viruses, if they actually look like the pictures they show us, with all those little protein 'hooks' sticking out and all...? This might account for another study showing a much higher rate of blockage...

Now factor in that the Covid-19 virus is heavy enough that a lone virus will fall to the ground (saw a doctor say that :) ), and has no propulsion system other than air movement, either ambient, or that created by us, by inhaling and exhaling. Seems logical to me that a virus trapped precariously by random t-shirt fibers, has just as much chance of being blown OFF the mask via exhaling as it does of being sucked thru the mask via inhaling...? And, if it IS dislodged by low-velocity exhaling, because it's heavy it's likely to just fall to the ground rather than be shot across 6' of airspace as a sneeze would do...

Even if all I just said is complete BS, Occam's Razor says 'the most obvious is usually correct'-- and IMO, any mask, even a 5%er, is better than no mask...

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

a corona virus is approximately a half micron. What does your dust filter on your air cleaner or dust collector trap? Yes and an N95 mask is slightly better than a surgical mask apparently but impossible to find.

The study I read a summary of was from a medical journal and was conducted at two hospitals in the Phillipines as I recall. Will try to find them. Basically plain cloth, no matter how tightly woven still left the wearer subject to 95% of the pathogens and viruses in the air.

There is a way to incorporate a filter of some type in with the cloth to help strain harmful things, but still not as effective. One of the goofy things I saw suggested was coffee filters, Who knows might beat plain cloth.

[Patrick McCarthy]

I may be in error (bound to happen sometime in my life), but it is my impression that the current rationale for having the population wear face protection is an attempt to prevent those people from inadvertently spreading any virus, ie to catch what it might if the wearer coughs, rather than preventing catching Covid-19 from others.

Granted, what can come in thru the cloth can also exit, but i think the thought is that something is better than nothing.

[Dave Sheldrake]

Look up viral loading

A well intentioned mask is going to trap all the viruses and amass them right in front of your breathing holes. Low viral load is survivable, high viral load is killing even healthy people.

A mask may prevent you giving Co19 to others but a badly designed one may end up killing you.

I currently have a fit and healthy Cop brother in ITU fighting for his life due to being the recipient of a high viral load

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

What passes for the Pa State secretary of health said tonight, was that cloth masks offer little to no protection from catching the disease. BUt MIGHT help prevent the spread. I am convinced that so many politicians in the mix are screwing things up. People dying in Queens Hospital NYC for lack of equipment and the Governor is sitting on un issued ventilators. In the mean time, the US is allegedly producing 25 million N95 masks a week, but nobody knows where the heck they are and now our governor wants up to wear them everywhere. On the brighter side, apparently American labs report developing 2 different vaccines for this bug. Now how many people will die as we go through testing is another problem. In the US. 30K new cases today and over a thousand new deaths. The expected peak cases for my area is expected the end of next week. Army folks have been here to determine the feasibility of converting an old hospital building into a care facility. The hospital has been clearing out surgeries and other areas to create wards. Meeting rooms are being converted to dorms for staff. She has been told to expect mandatory 16 hour shifts and has already packed her "storm bag" usually reserved for winter blizzards. Decontamination facilities are being set up so nurses can shed their scrubs as they leave the hospital. Two of her co workers went to New York City under contract that pays roughly $10,000 a week. They get little time other than to sleep. They are staying in a shared facililty like a dorm a few blocks from the hospital. No place to shop for essentials, no places open for food, and a hospital security van shuttles them back and forth. One said the shortages of equipment are far worse than when she did a couple weeks with Drs without borders.

[Jim Koepke]

Here is an article on the effectiveness of different materials for homemade masks > https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-materials-make-diy-face-mask-virus/

Further in to the article it suggests doubling some materials increases the effectiveness.

jtk

[Andrew Joiner]

Here is an article on the effectiveness of different materials for homemade masks > https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-materials-make-diy-face-mask-virus/

Further in to the article it suggests doubling some materials increases the effectiveness.

jtk
Thanks. That link shows actual testing results.

[Ole Anderson]

I'm in FL away from home for another month. My wife has a friend sending two home made cloth masks. It will be interesting to see the construction. But yesterday I had my son raid my shop and he found two clean 3M N95 masks along with a big bottle of Tylenol, which also is difficult to find on the shelves. Now I can feel a bit more comfortable going to the grocery store to stock up for another week, presuming USPS can get them here. Our local mail sorting facility in MI has the workers in an uproar with C19 sick workers.

[Curt Harms]

I saw an article on a site - I think it was accuweather - that said a combination of blue shop towel and cloth was pretty effective. I just checked now and don't see it.

[Andrew Joiner]

A fast t- shirt mask.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJaVBt8q6g8

[Jim Koepke]

One thing that may be worth looking forward to is when this is over someone, or many someones, will make quilts with the used and sterilized homemade masks.

jtk

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

Keep in mind that using a sewing machine to poke the material full of 1mm holes every 32nd inch, sort of defeats the purpose.

[Mike Kreinhop]

Keep in mind that using a sewing machine to poke the material full of 1mm holes every 32nd inch, sort of defeats the purpose.

I call a 1mm hole every 1/32nd inch a gash. My sewing machine uses a 0.7mm needle when I'm sewing fine material and 0.9mm needles when I'm sewing other fabric. The hole the needle creates is filled with thread that is pulled tight by the take-up lever, and the holes do not overlap.

[Kev Williams]

some guy on the news this morning, who started some group committed to getting as many people as possible to wear masks in public. He cited some interesting studies and etc. that I'll attempt to paraphrase halfway decent...

- the virus carried by spittle from talking is the #1 way the virus is being spread; more people talk to each other than cough and sneeze toward each other

-testing plain cotton fabric masks have consistently shown to stop nearly 100% of spittle; if you have the virus and don't know it, any mask, even cloth, is nearly 100% effective at keeping YOU from infecting someone else, especially if they're wearing a mask...

-no masks are perfect, any masks are much better than nothing.

-countries where mask-wearing has been mandated have significantly lower infection numbers than countries that that don't-

-he claims that if 'they' can reach their magic number of 80% of ALL people wearing masks in public, the virus spread would be slowed quickly enough this pandemic would be over much sooner than projected... his words were 'we could kill off this virus''; I'm sure he meant 'kill off this virus pandemic'...

And he showed how to make a simple mask that will be nearly equal to an N95 mask: get some cotton cloth and fold it into two layers to about 3" tall (my observation), sew the sides and bottom together, leaving the top open (his mask looked like a pita-pocket)-- then, insert into the pocket a sheet of paper towel. He explained most paper towels are very close in their construction to what's used in N95 masks...

[Andrew Joiner]

some guy on the news this morning, who started some group committed to getting as many people as possible to wear masks in public. He cited some interesting studies and etc. that I'll attempt to paraphrase halfway decent...

- the virus carried by spittle from talking is the #1 way the virus is being spread; more people talk to each other than cough and sneeze toward each other

-testing plain cotton fabric masks have consistently shown to stop nearly 100% of spittle; if you have the virus and don't know it, any mask, even cloth, is nearly 100% effective at keeping YOU from infecting someone else, especially if they're wearing a mask...

-no masks are perfect, any masks are much better than nothing.

-countries where mask-wearing has been mandated have significantly lower infection numbers than countries that that don't-

-he claims that if 'they' can reach their magic number of 80% of ALL people wearing masks in public, the virus spread would be slowed quickly enough this pandemic would be over much sooner than projected... his words were 'we could kill off this virus''; I'm sure he meant 'kill off this virus pandemic'...

And he showed how to make a simple mask that will be nearly equal to an N95 mask: get some cotton cloth and fold it into two layers to about 3" tall (my observation), sew the sides and bottom together, leaving the top open (his mask looked like a pita-pocket)-- then, insert into the pocket a sheet of paper towel. He explained most paper towels are very close in their construction to what's used in N95 masks...
I think you mean University of San Francisco data scientist Jeremy Howard.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2864179293668570
It makes sense to me.

[Dave Bunge]

This guy shows how to make a mask from blue shop towels. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mai-UqdNRi8

No sewing required. Materials are one shop towel, a paper clip, two rubber bands, some Scotch tape and staples. It took me 5 minutes to make my first one, subsequent ones will be faster. They fit and seal on the face quite well. I wore one outside for about an hour walking around and doing moderate exercise and did not feel winded or light headed so it seems I was getting enough breathing air thru the mask. There are a number of references on the web that say that the blue shop towel material has reasonably good filtration performance.

[Jim Becker]

Funny how the information on masks changes as time goes on. Every day more experts say it's good for everyone to wear masks when they leave the house.
Given that a few weeks ago, there was clear understanding that asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic infected people were a major vector for transmission of Covid-19, someone wearing a mask is greatly reducing the chance that they are spreading the virus. The new recommendation to wear even the most basic mask or surrogate in public is based on that: You wear a mask, you protect others from you. They wear a mask, they protect you from them. If enough folks swallow their pride, un-puff their chests, deflate their aversion to being "told what to do" and just do this...the rate of spread will slow greatly and keep things manageable. If people don't do their part, we are in for a longer, nastier outcome.

And for the record, I'm currently most likely recovering from Covid-19 which is why I haven't been commenting over the last week. I was unable to. I was also unable to get tested because I could...breath on my own. I'm thankful for the breathing 'cause I'm still here, but sad I'm not going to know what bus hit me in the mean time.

[Andrew Joiner]

Given that a few weeks ago, there was clear understanding that asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic infected people were a major vector for transmission of Covid-19, someone wearing a mask is greatly reducing the chance that they are spreading the virus. The new recommendation to wear even the most basic mask or surrogate in public is based on that: You wear a mask, you protect others from you. They wear a mask, they protect you from them. If enough folks swallow their pride, un-puff their chests, deflate their aversion to being "told what to do" and just do this...the rate of spread will slow greatly and keep things manageable. If people don't do their part, we are in for a longer, nastier outcome.

And for the record, I'm currently most likely recovering from Covid-19 which is why I haven't been commenting over the last week. I was unable to. I was also unable to get tested because I could...breath on my own. I'm thankful for the breathing 'cause I'm still here, but sad I'm not going to know what bus hit me in the mean time.
Wow, glad your back Jim.

[Andrew Joiner]

More info on how and why face coverings work: https://masks4all.co/

[Doug Dawson]

This guy shows how to make a mask from blue shop towels. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mai-UqdNRi8

No sewing required. Materials are one shop towel, a paper clip, two rubber bands, some Scotch tape and staples. It took me 5 minutes to make my first one, subsequent ones will be faster. They fit and seal on the face quite well. I wore one outside for about an hour walking around and doing moderate exercise and did not feel winded or light headed so it seems I was getting enough breathing air thru the mask. There are a number of references on the web that say that the blue shop towel material has reasonably good filtration performance.

One time I broke my glasses and I had to hold them on to my head with rubber bands for the rest of the day. It was a great conversation starter! I never thought of trying staples.

[Doug Dawson]

Given that a few weeks ago, there was clear understanding that asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic infected people were a major vector for transmission of Covid-19, someone wearing a mask is greatly reducing the chance that they are spreading the virus. The new recommendation to wear even the most basic mask or surrogate in public is based on that: You wear a mask, you protect others from you. They wear a mask, they protect you from them. If enough folks swallow their pride, un-puff their chests, deflate their aversion to being "told what to do" and just do this...the rate of spread will slow greatly and keep things manageable. If people don't do their part, we are in for a longer, nastier outcome.

And for the record, I'm currently most likely recovering from Covid-19 which is why I haven't been commenting over the last week. I was unable to. I was also unable to get tested because I could...breath on my own. I'm thankful for the breathing 'cause I'm still here, but sad I'm not going to know what bus hit me in the mean time.

Sorry to hear about that, Jim, and glad to hear you're recovering. At any point did you lose your sense of taste and/or smell? That's reportedly one of the stronger giveaways of it.

[Mike Henderson]

Given that a few weeks ago, there was clear understanding that asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic infected people were a major vector for transmission of Covid-19, someone wearing a mask is greatly reducing the chance that they are spreading the virus. The new recommendation to wear even the most basic mask or surrogate in public is based on that: You wear a mask, you protect others from you. They wear a mask, they protect you from them. If enough folks swallow their pride, un-puff their chests, deflate their aversion to being "told what to do" and just do this...the rate of spread will slow greatly and keep things manageable. If people don't do their part, we are in for a longer, nastier outcome.

And for the record, I'm currently most likely recovering from Covid-19 which is why I haven't been commenting over the last week. I was unable to. I was also unable to get tested because I could...breath on my own. I'm thankful for the breathing 'cause I'm still here, but sad I'm not going to know what bus hit me in the mean time.

I'm glad to hear your're improving, Jim. Hope you're all well and back to normal soon.

Mike

[Jim Becker]

Sorry to hear about that, Jim, and glad to hear you're recovering. At any point did you lose your sense of taste and/or smell? That's reportedly one of the stronger giveaways of it.
I noticed it right as soon as I actually felt like eating again...late in the week. It was shocking. And folks who know me know that I'm a somewhat serious person in the kitchen now for a long time...I cook 5-6 days a week. Sweet was gone. Salt was way over emphasized. Some umami flavors are normalish; other things are off. The lemon poppy seed muffins my daughter made tasted like they had hot pepper on them. My tongue is a wasteland...it almost seems I need to regenerate new taste buds...and the roof of my mouth feels similarly. Kinda like the problem you experience when you accidentally get too-hot pizza sauce in your mouth and everything gets burnt away.

Smell is an interesting thing. There are some things I can smell more keenly. When I first came off the fevers I could smell this "whatever" that was similar to the smell you might find when you take off a bandage and skin sees the light of day for the first time in a few days. A friend and I talked about it...it was...me. We don't normally smell ourselves. It wasn't unpleasant, but was still a "what the heck" thing.

[Patrick McCarthy]

Keep in mind that using a sewing machine to poke the material full of 1mm holes every 32nd inch, sort of defeats the purpose.

Gosh, the one my wife made for me only has stitching on the side near my ears.

[Jim Becker]

Gosh, the one my wife made for me only has stitching on the side near my ears.
Agree. The stitching is a non-issue and isn't in the area that is filtering.

[Kev Williams]

I think you mean University of San Francisco data scientist Jeremy Howard.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2864179293668570
It makes sense to me.

Yup, that would be him :)

[Jon Nuckles]

Jim, I am glad you are feeling better. One week of feeling sick is pretty short for symptomatic Covid-19, from what I have read, but the loss of your sense of smell is a strong indicator that you had it. It looks like the new tests for antibodies should tell you for sure, assuming you can get the test while your body still has them. Best of luck with your continued recovery!

[Jim Becker]

I had a FaceTime call with my PA this morning and he fixed the testing problem...it was an oversight. He says it's still worth doing since it's only a few days since my fever stopped and it may still indicate something useful. I have that tomorrow morning. He also agreed that especially with the senses changes, it's more likely I had it than not. But we spent most of our time discussing something else.

[Andrew Joiner]

You can call that one "the Bank Teller Special"| :^)

Funny the first time I wore it to the grocery store 2 people I know walked by and said " Hi Andrew, nice mask".

[michael langman]

I read an article a last week about nylon stockings being used over a homemade cotton mask, and extensive testing was done.

The results were better filtration then the n95 masks and surgical masks.

I didn't mention this earlier because I figured everyone would have heard about it. NPR did an article with the University, that did the testing with the special equuipment used for these tests.

[Andrew Joiner]

I read an article a last week about nylon stockings being used over a homemade cotton mask, and extensive testing was done.

The results were better filtration then the n95 masks and surgical masks.

I didn't mention this earlier because I figured everyone would have heard about it. NPR did an article with the University, that did the testing with the special equuipment used for these tests.
Thanks Michael. Here's the link:
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/04/22/840146830/adding-a-nylon-stocking-layer-could-boost-protection-from-cloth-masks-study-find

The nylon stocking improves the seal to the face. Many of the masks I see aren't tight enough to seal around the edges. I added aluminum nose strips to my diy masks.

[glenn bradley]

You can call that one "the Bank Teller Special"| :^)


Had to get something notarized at the bank a month or so ago. The irony that everyone in the place was wearing a mask was not lost on me ;-))

[Brian Elfert]

The nylon stocking improves the seal to the face. Many of the masks I see aren't tight enough to seal around the edges. I added aluminum nose strips to my diy masks.

The purpose of wearing a face covering in public is not to stop the wearer from getting COVID-19. It is to stop the wearer from transmitting COVID-19 if they don't know they are a carrier. Sure, not all the virus will be blocked, but the spittle and such that would normally go into the air is captured by the mask. A metal strip sure doesn't hurt if you can add one.

I have an N95 mask I bought a few years ago and didn't use. I won't use it for COVID-19 because it has an exhalation valve. It may protect me better, but it doesn't protect others.

[Jim Becker]

Professor Dr. SWMBO is using pipe cleaners for the nose of the mask to make it easy to contour to the nose...especially important for folks who wear glasses. The pipe cleaners were not easy to come by, but they finally arrived.

[David L Morse]

I cut some narrow strips from Aluminum flashing for ours. I rounded the corners and smoothed the burrs with a belt sander. We'll see how long it takes for them to wear through the cloth.

[michael langman]

Thanks for posting the link Andrew.

The stockings were tested and used for the first time when the 3 mile island incident happened in 1979. They were deemed effective in protecting people from the radioactive fallout particles.

They give a tight seal around the edges of the cotton masks and greatly improve the effectiveness other mask. I would get kinda warm wearing one, but if it helps so beit.

[Andrew Joiner]

The purpose of wearing a face covering in public is not to stop the wearer from getting COVID-19. It is to stop the wearer from transmitting COVID-19 if they don't know they are a carrier. Sure, not all the virus will be blocked, but the spittle and such that would normally go into the air is captured by the mask. A metal strip sure doesn't hurt if you can add one.

I have an N95 mask I bought a few years ago and didn't use. I won't use it for COVID-19 because it has an exhalation valve. It may protect me better, but it doesn't protect others.
Thanks Brian. Good info about valves too.
In making masks I'm trying to get protection from inhaled virus too. After all it's hard to stay 6' away at all times in a store isle.
In the shop I'll hold my breath to walk out the door after my respirator is hung up to dry. In the store I do the same thing before coming close to people.
I have several mask designs for different anticipated conditions. Some easier to wear for longer times and some are more protective. The right tool for the job:)

[Malcolm McLeod]

I have been (essential) traveling - both commercial air and highway - and watching people wearing masks. I am not an expert by any means but from simple observations, the use and efficacy of masks for the general public is a joke. People put them on/off repeatedly, or adjust them, with no allowance for where their hands touch - to the mask or otherwise. Noses covered? Guessing that ~15-20% find it uncomfortable or just plain inconvenient.

And this without even considering the materials of construction, and their suitability to the task.

I'm sure there are some individuals who do it right, but collectively we are fooling ourselves to think masks will be any more than the equal of an aspirin for a cut throat.

[Jim Tobias]

This is the best explanation of the difference between mask and respirator that I have seen. The two terms are too often used as the same......they are not.

Jim

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[Wade Lippman]

I think masks for all are kind of inevitable. There are two approaches to getting out of this thing:

1. Deliberately build herd immunity.
a. To do that somewhere between 50-66% of the population must get sick and recover. We have 327 million people. Even using 1% fatality (low), that's 3.27 million deaths.


Sweden is doing this, with 2,000 dead so far. They expect to achieve herd immunity in a few weeks.
Maybe Swedes aren't obese with diabetes and high blood pressure. Who knows...