Cloth masks

[AppleDumpling]

I’ve not spent one minute in a cloth mask (they skeeve me out). My company has provided unlimited supplies of medical grade disposable masks for staff, our families and our customers, so that’s what I’ve always worn.

Good for you, but most people do not have the benefit of employer-provided masks.

You are not permitted here to wear cloth into medical or dental facilities or on airplanes.

This is not true in the United States.

 

[ronandannette]

Good for you, but most people do not have the benefit of employer-provided masks.

This is not true in the United States.

OK - where did I say it was? And why the snark?

 

[amcnj]

I still don't understand this thought. If a cloth mask can stop the virus from leaving the nose/mouth, then it stands to reason it needs to stop it from entering the nose/mouth. If there are gaps between the mask and the face, yes, that would allow more to get through, but the same could be said of the wearer.

How are the masks "one way" (ie: stop virus from exiting but don't stop from entering)?

From the start I recall the experts saying the virus particles were smaller than the “gaps” in anything but the N95 masks. I can see wearing even a cloth mask can keep the spray from a cough or sneeze from traveling as far. But do the virus particles still get through? I also don’t recall if I ever heard how they pass through a cloth mask. Is it mainly when someone is sneezing or coughing, or with every breath?

 

[ronandannette]

From the start I recall the experts saying the virus particles were smaller than the “gaps” in anything but the N95 masks. I can see wearing even a cloth mask can keep the spray from a cough or sneeze from traveling as far. But do the virus particles still get through? I also don’t recall if I ever heard how they pass through a cloth mask. Is it mainly when someone is sneezing or coughing, or with every breath?

I had a very eye-opening experience early on. Some people at my work insisted on trying to defy the mask rules by wearing a neck gaitor. One lady stood outside and vaped right through hers. It was no barrier at all. Plastic face shields are also seen from time to time and with the bottoms and tops completely open, the most those can do is change the trajectory and slow the velocity of particles. And weren’t the N-95’s with the valve disallowed at some point specifically because they’re designed to allow discharge out? End of the day, no matter what we’ve done it may be mostly whistling in the dark.

 

[AppleDumpling]

OK - where did I say it was? And why the snark?

I did not mean to be snarky at all; I apologize if it came off that way.

I sincerely mean, good for you! You are fortunate to have this. And I only wanted to clarify what you said about cloth masks because the majority of posters on this board are American.

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

Face coverings work by restricting droplets that contain viral particles from spreading. They are imperfect and just one part of spread mitigation.

 

[ronandannette]

I did not mean to be snarky at all; I apologize if it came off that way.

I sincerely mean, good for you! You are fortunate to have this. And I only wanted to clarify what you said about cloth masks because the majority of posters on this board are American.

In many ways we were lucky from the onset that PPE was not so difficult to get here as it was in many other parts. By the time the authorities got the story straight and masks were recommended, they were in fairly free supply and our provincial government gave away 10 million of the medical grade disposables - through Tim Horton’s drive-thrus of all places. Our jurisdiction didn’t bring in legal mask mandates until August of 2020 and the requirements have remained in place ever since.

 

[LYSE]

In many ways we were lucky from the onset that PPE was not so difficult to get here as it was in many other parts. By the time the authorities got the story straight and masks were recommended, they were in fairly free supply and our provincial government gave away 10 million of the medical grade disposables - through Tim Horton’s drive-thrus of all places. Our jurisdiction didn’t bring in legal mask mandates until August of 2020 and the requirements have remained in place ever since.

Interesting, as an American I wore n95s from the start, never ever just a cloth mask and only stepped down to surgical when required and only after vaccine.

The only reason I had n95s though was because it was part of our home emergency kit which included things for natural disasters and actually pandemic/contaminated air ..though it could have used more n95s (it was p100 heavy and even half face respirators) glad we had enough to make it through the supply issues.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

One of the congregants at my church is a doctor who mostly works with the elderly in nursing homes. One of the things she said that I think we have forgotten is that most masks, especially cloth masks, are primarily to keep the mask wearer from shedding the virus into the air. If you are walking around with COVID and you don't know it, the mask is to keep you from infecting other people.

It may offer minimum protection from getting the virus, but it is mostly to protect others. N95 and KN95 are supposed to block both shedding AND infection

See the "How do the different types of masks work?" section of the May Clinic's website
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449

 

[FlightlessDuck]

HOLY CRAP THEY FIXED THE LINKS!

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I'm getting confused by the news too. On our news I've been hearing a lot that the N95 and KN95 mask are necessary now. Then I hear a cloth mask is okay as long as it's 2 to 3 layers and if you put it up to light and can't see through it, then it's good. Mask should also have an adjustable wire on the nose for snug fit.

 

[ronandannette]

One of the congregants at my church is a doctor who mostly works with the elderly in nursing homes. One of the things she said that I think we have forgotten is that most masks, especially cloth masks, are primarily to keep the mask wearer from shedding the virus into the air. If you are walking around with COVID and you don't know it, the mask is to keep you from infecting other people.

It may offer minimum protection from getting the virus, but it is mostly to protect others. N95 and KN95 are supposed to block both shedding AND infection

See the "How do the different types of masks work?" section of the May Clinic's website
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449

If memory serves, that was always the information right from the start. It's just hard to fathom how a barrier of this type only functions one way.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I'm getting confused by the news too. On our news I've been hearing a lot that the N95 and KN95 mask are necessary now. Then I hear a cloth mask is okay as long as it's 2 to 3 layers and if you put it up to light and can't see through it, then it's good. Mask should also have an adjustable wire on the nose for snug fit.

That is all true. And it has to do with how transmissible Omicron is. I read yesterday (wish I could remember where) that every infected person is passing it to 3 other people. And where it was around 15 minutes of exposure with Delta, it’s now in passing with Omicron.

It’s not that cloth masks don’t work. They don’t work as well, especially given the transmission rate. Now that said, if a cloth with a filter fits your face better than a surgical, it’s going to be better for you. I’ve personally been wearing KFN4 & KN95s in the classroom for the last two months and they work well.

 

[DisneyHardin]

What I heard on the news the other day was that cloth masks block about 50% of airborne particles, paper surgical masks block about 80% and N95 masks block about 95%. So it isn't that cloth masks don't work, they just don't work nearly as well as other alternatives.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I just started wearing the surgical ones in place of my cloth ones. It takes some getting used to for me personally, because I wear glasses and the top of the mask comes up under my frames even with the nose piece pinched. But I'll get it right. My sister and I are planning on buying them in bulk for our trip to WDW in March.

BTW, for people who wear glasses: There's a product called Fog Gone by Optix 55 that has saved my sanity. You spray a little bit on both sides of your lenses, wipe in a circular motion with your fingers to spread it out, then let them dry for a few minutes. Then you wipe them gently with a tissue to remove streaks. NO MORE FOGGY GLASSES. I got a 2 ounce bottle from Amazon sometime in 2020 and still have nearly half left.

 

[Christine]

Surface contamination is not thought to be a major cause of spread.

I still don't understand this thought. If a cloth mask can stop the virus from leaving the nose/mouth, then it stands to reason it needs to stop it from entering the nose/mouth. If there are gaps between the mask and the face, yes, that would allow more to get through, but the same could be said of the wearer.

How are the masks "one way" (ie: stop virus from exiting but don't stop from entering)?

Because when the virus leaves an infected person, it is not yet in fine "aerosol" form. It's all bound up in your breath droplets and mucous. In other words, the moisture that carries the virus is in a heavier form. That size is stoppable by a mask. Once you expel the droplets from your mouth and nose (again these are small droplets and we cannot see them, but they are still large enough to be stopped by a very fine weave cloth), they start to break up and be impacted by the air around you. The particles become smaller and smaller and smaller as they waft through the air. Once they hit another person, they are small enough, at that point, to come through just about everything.

 

[Christine]

If memory serves, that was always the information right from the start. It's just hard to fathom how a barrier of this type only functions one way.

The particles you expel continue to break down into smaller sizes as they are impacted by the air/air currents around them.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I stopped wearing my cloth one a few months after I started wearing it back in 2020. Mostly just disposable ones. I have in March and again in December used the cloth mask over my disposable one on the airplane but that's it.

I do believe the going advice for a while now is that it was time to upgrade from cloth (especially if it was just a 2 layer one which is what a lot of us wore). The supply issues have largely resolved although counterfeit issues arose. Still though I do believe this was the advice before Omicron but became just more out there and prevalent as far as advice goes when Omicron made it's vicious appearance in the U.S.

I have found that the BYD disposable masks fit better than the Homedics ones both purchased at Costco.

I have found there's pros and cons to cloth or disposable with neither being the perfect thing but I believe it's been advised to us move to disposable if you haven't already (3 layer IIRC).

 

[yitbos96bb]

They never really worked it was just thought to be better than nothing then some badly done studies and assumptions were made showing some effectiveness but really protection has always started with surgicals and real protection at n95 or equivalents.

I doubt they'll be banned because people are just too accustomed to it plus your splitting hairs on advantages if the wearer is vaxxed

That’s not correct. Single layer and double layer masks offer some level of protection vs no ma’am. Numerous studies out there confirm this. But it is correct to say they never were as effective as N95 or three ply surgical masks. It wasn’t as big an issue before because the particulates were larger and thus enough we’re getting blocked that it was offering a decent level or protection. With the mutations of the new variant particulates are smaller and thus can get by single play and double ply cloth masks far far easier offering far less protection than with other versions of covid. This is why the call to start using N95/KN95 type masks or surgical. The old style masks are still better than nothing but they aren’t offering the same level of risk reduction they did with early versions of covid

 

[DLgal]

Not sure we can say. Their exposure may not have been through aerosols. Touch your nose, eyes mouth after touching say the credit card reader at the store without washing your hands or sanitizing, you're infected. Which is why hand washing, hand sanitizer and masks together are so important.

These were exposures where touching items wasn't an issue. They were with others who later found out they were positive, in situations where they were just near each other, talking.