Making your own Covid-19 masks

I recently received an email from a Navy Reserve corpsman Chief Petty Officer (AKA "Hospitalman", HMC) with whom I served before retiring nearly a decade ago:

quote:

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BLUF: Medical supplies are for medical professionals but the general public should probably be encourage to wear cloth facial barriers while out in public. (Hopefully the general public is smart enough to stay home though.)

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The experts (CDC, OSG, WHO, etc.) currently recommend that facemasks should be worn by sick people but healthy people do not need to wear facemasks. Having a mask cover a sick person's mouth and nose limits the spread of infectious material when the person talks, sneezes, coughs, or simply breaths. The mask does not protect the wearer; the mask helps to protect everyone around the wearer by restricting the pathogen from floating freely across the room.

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When it comes to assessing the general public, wearing a mask does not protect the wearer from the virus. In fact, wearing/using medical PPE improperly may increase the chance of infection and unwittingly spread infectious material further. Wearing medical PPE against contagious agents is akin to wearing MOPP gear against a suspected biological attack. It does not matter what fancy gear a person might put on if the individual lacks the appropriate level of training, discipline, and execution during all stages of wear (i.e. don, decon, doff, disposal) because the person will still become contaminated. Wearing medical PPE by an untrained, undisciplined healthy person will not protect the person from getting sick. Having the general public wastefully burn through critical medical supplies that are desperately needed by healthcare professionals will exacerbate the pandemic crisis and lead to more needless deaths. That is the basic logic of the experts and I agree with them entirely when viewed from that angle.

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However, let's turn the equation upside down.

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Due to the 14-day incubation period, it is possible that people may be contagious and spreading the virus before the person feels sick or shows any symptoms of illness. It is not really possible to tell who is still healthy versus who is actually sick during that 14-day incubation period. Therefore, the "safest" assumption is to operate as if everyone is contagious/sick and apply standard precautions universally. When we operate under the assumption that everyone is contagious then the scenario changes and wearing a facial barrier makes far more sense.

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Wearing a facemask does not protect the wearer from the virus, but wearing any sort of facial barrier over the mouth and nose will limit the spread of potentially infectious material to others. The barrier does not protect the wearer, the barrier helps to protect everyone around the wearer. As people cough, sneeze, talk, and breath the barrier serves to help contain the potential infectious material coming out of the person's mouth/nose and limit the distance that material might travel through the air, thus reducing the amount of potentially infectious material floating around that might get people sick.

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If everyone is wearing a facial barrier in public then the barriers should help to protect everyone from each other.

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The general public must not wear medical masks, especially N95 respirators, while supplies are at such critical levels. Medical masks and N95 respirators must be reserved for our healthcare professionals and first-responders. However, in addition to frequent hand-washing and following social distancing guidelines, the general public should probably be encouraged to wear cloth barriers over their mouth and nose while out in public.

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The facial barrier does not need to be anything fancy. It just needs to comfortably fit over the wearer's mouth and nose and not interfere with breathing. There are numerous non-medical commercial products and lots of simple DIY designs out there. People can also potentially wear a neck gaiter, buff, balaclava, ski mask, motorcycle mask, UPF face shield, fishing mask, sun mask, sun gaiter, face tube, bandana, scarf, flash hood, shemagh, keffiyeh, niqab, (non-NIOSH) dust mask, or just about any cloth or paper barrier that covers over their mouth and nose that will catch a cough. (However you may want to continue to avoid the diaper mask, panty mask, and feminine napkin mask. Google it.) (Elevation masks/training masks might also be avoided since they restrict the ability to breath.)

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Any simple facial barrier that helps keep droplets from floating across the room is all you're aiming for. You're not trying to filter out the virus during inhalation to protect yourself. You're trying to cut down on the airborne particles floating around as you exhale to protect others. That is the potential benefit from everyone wearing masks so there is no need to waste money buying specialty mask products from some profiteer selling snake oil. Plus the general public should not use medical masks and N95 respirators while medical supplies are still critically depleted.

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Continue to conserve the medical supplies for the medical professionals. When properly worn by a healthcare professional a medical mask or N95 respirator may help keep them healthy. When medical masks are worn by the general public, they're just denying medical professionals desperately needed protection. Each medical professional that gets taken out of the fight, even for a short period, is one less person available to treat you or your loved ones.

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Coronavirus is not the flu. It's worse. (6:30), Vox, 1 Apr 2020
https://youtu.be/FVIGhz3uwuQ

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US surgeon general details spread of coronavirus and debate over masks. (4:39), ABC News, 1 Apr 2020
https://youtu.be/VDue2PImkIQ

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Should you wear a face mask to stop spread of COVID-19? (2:32), ABC 7 Chicago, 1 Apr 2020
https://youtu.be/MpjmKc2D0Mg

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The right way to cover your cough (0:48), Hamilton Health Sciences, 18 Jan 2017
https://youtu.be/J2jbEetZ8G4

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Sneeze Safe 2010 (0:30), Australia, 28 Aug 2010
https://youtu.be/UHAh0reEefs

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Mythbusters Contamination, Spreading Germs (5:46), MythBusters, 2011
https://youtu.be/3wPKBpk7wUY
This MythBusters' segment exaggerates the level of contamination because Adam Savage is deliberately trying to spread the dye. However, it is still a good illustration of how easily and quickly invisible corona cooties can be spread and transfer to other people. Again, the "safest" assumption is to operate as if everything is potentially contaminated and take reasonable precautions to protect yourself. Frequent proper hand-washing is essential to fighting this pandemic. Don't touch anything in a store that you don't need to touch. Sanitize your hands before getting in your car after you leave a store or work. Immediately wash your hands upon arriving home (first thing). Wash your hands before eating. Sanitize high-touch surfaces regularly (i.e. smartphone, door knob, keyboard & mouse, office phone, steering wheel, gear shift, etc.). Wash you hands after using disinfectants and other chemicals. Take reasonable precautions but do not go crazy. A multi-stage CBRN DECON process for every product or package is not required. Failing to use disinfectants/chemicals properly can harm you. Covering food items with disinfectants/chemicals is not healthy and will likely cause problems. Be prudent but don't be paranoid.

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Be smart. Be safe. Wash your hands and avoid the stupidity.

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Be smart. Be Navy strong.Edited by dwise1, : corrected the rate