Do you wear a mask in stores?

[Badger]

We're not going into the stores.

A long time ago I was a teaching assistant in microbiology at a state university, I taught labs to nursing and food science people. I did this while getting MA in biology while doing premed stuff.
As part of my duties I cultured organisms under hoods using an open flame and a nicromium wire loop that was sterilized in flame and became red hot. I had zero experience with viruses. We sterilized surfaces with zepharim chloride. sp? I did learn a lot about fomites (contaminated things). Transmission by touch and spread is so easy as these things are so numerous. I would touch something with the loop and streak a petri disk filled with solidi nutrients lightly. Flame the loop and streak across the line. Rotate and repeat. Took about 5 times to get just one of the buggers growing at a spot on the streak. Point is its not just who you are near. Like STD not just who you slept with who they slept with and that chain. It's who touched something that was contaminated soon enough ago to still have virus "alive" when I touch it.

I wear gloves and use disinfectant wipes and eye protection (have molded to face safety glasses) when I've gone down to the lobby to fetch mail at odd times later in day when no one is likely doing it. I go down the stair well and go up the elevator. This was fine as long as there were few cases here in Chicago.

I watched people coming and going in the lobby on the closed circuit video. No gloves, no wipes or tissues to open public doors. Last night used a mask for first time going to get the mail. Spouse is going out today to have people put groceries in our trunk and will also have gloves wipes mask and eye protection.

The mask we use now is not a N95 but we have a few of them to use should we hear of a case in the building or it escalating more. I've made hallway door more tight fitting, have a towel at bottom of door and have small amount of outside air coming in from balcony (50 feet from ground).

I have always been cautious and even wore seat belts from the start. We've been holed up for a couple weeks now.

I know this is a respiratory virus, and washing hands does wonders. Lets just keep the amount of stuff on our hands to a minimum as well.

I am also a Biologist and while doing grad work had the opportunity to work with some disease agents (but not virus) of which there is no known cure. It was a little scary. At one point in my career I also worked for 10 years as a Microbiologist and Chemical Engineer. I have great respect for lab protocol and the dangers of pathogens. I trust The Lancet, JAMA, New England Journal of Medicine, and my training and experience of the past 50 years as a biologist. Anything other than those I am skeptical of any other information until convinced with strong scientific data.


Covid-19 is not something I will take lightly. I intend to stay within the environment I can control and use any protective gear available if outside of that environment. I am not ready to tempt contracting this virus and more importantly I do not want to risk passing it on to my wife. Others will do what ever they decide is in their best interest. It will not bother me if I am too conservative with my approach.


Cheers!

 

[Lakewood90712]

2 of the 4 times I have been a grocery store, the checker(s) had runny nose , one was wiping it with arm ! they had no mask to protect customers. I do wear a mask and gloves. And wash everything possable that was touched .

same kind of thing at a mcdonalds drive thru , the girl had to turn away to sneeze before handing the bag thru the window.

The companies are sending out comunications about "rigouris cleaning and sanitizing, " " safety is our # 1 concern " Oh BS. Not even taking simple . logical controls .

Anyone who has worked in the nuclear or chemical industries could come up with simple improvements for the retail and food that stay open.

In the mean time , our fearless leaders at the local level have closed parks, beaches , hiking trails , harbors. This is BS.

 

[tmm99]

The CDC and the WHO are trying very hard to make sure that 100% of the mask supply goes to the front line: medical staff and first responders. This means they are saying things to try to reduce consumer demand for masks, regardless of the validity of what they are saying. If properly fitted masks do not protect you, why do medical staff need them? An exercise for the reader.

To add, someone on this forum wrote that he was given a box of masks when he started chemotherapy and was told to wear one if he was going to be around other people. And that was obviously not because he was infectious.

 

[Ready]

In the mean time , our fearless leaders at the local level have closed parks, beaches , hiking trails , harbors. This is BS.

Why do you say that? I live at the beach and our community leaders have refused to close it down. As I look out my window every parking spot is taken, the bicycle path is packed and there are hundreds of surfers trying to catch a wave. There is no way those people on the path are maintaining six feet of distance. They are using public bathrooms, touching the handrails, sitting on the benches, throwing trash out in the neighborhood, and touching a lot of common surfaces. It looks even busier out there today than a normal day in March with no pandemic.

And California has been on one of the strictest stay at home directives in the Country for over a week now. It’s being completely ignored in my neighborhood by way too many people.

 

[Sunset]

Why would you want the government in between the manufacturers and the health care providers?

Because health care providers cannot force a manufacturer to:

• double production,
• to sell at a fair profitable price,
• to ship to the health care providers instead of exporting to Italy or the TN boys to sell on Amazon for 20x the fair price.

We did this during WWII, to force companies to make:

• bullets,
• bomb,
• tanks,
• and not sell them to the Nazi's which could have happened since we were not at war for the first 2 years of WWII.

This is why we have the Defense Production Act.
Now we are forcing GM to make ventilators. Because GM was not doing it when hospitals were screaming for ventilators.

By the way, the Gov't is between manufacturers in daily life a lot of the time, Gov't sets regulations the manufacturers have to follow in order to sell.
Example would be: No lead in the paint manufactured for painting houses.

 

[tmm99]

This is an article from NYTimes, it may be behind the paywall. It's just an opinion piece by a science writer though...

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/...tion=click&module=Top Stories&pgtype=Homepage

TITLE: More Americans Should Probably Wear Masks for Protection



When researchers conducted systematic review of a variety of interventions used during the SARS outbreak in 2003, they found that washing hands more than 10 times daily was 55 percent effective in stopping virus transmission, while wearing a mask was actually more effective — at about 68 percent. Wearing gloves offered about the same amount of protection as frequent hand-washing, and combining all measures — hand-washing, masks, gloves and a protective gown — increased the intervention effectiveness to 91 percent.

 

[Ready]

How does a company like GM, who has never produced anything but cars, suddenly ramp up and become a ventilator manufacturer?

 

[brewer12345]

By the way, the Gov't is between manufacturers in daily life a lot of the time, Gov't sets regulations the manufacturers have to follow in order to sell.
Example would be: No lead in the paint manufactured for painting houses.

Ridiculous argument. Gubmint says you cannot sell house paint with lead oxide in it. The manufacturer then decides whether or not to engage in the production of paint given that they cannot use lead oxide. That is a far, far cry from putting a gun to the manufacturer's head and telling them you will make masks now, tovarisch. Be careful what you wish for.

 

[brewer12345]

How does a company like GM, who has never produced anything but cars, suddenly ramp up and become a ventilator manufacturer?

Very ineffectively and expensively.

 

[USGrant1962]

Because health care providers cannot force a manufacturer to:

• double production,
• to sell at a fair profitable price,
• to ship to the health care providers instead of exporting to Italy or the TN boys to sell on Amazon for 20x the fair price.

We did this during WWII, to force companies to make:

• bullets,
• bomb,
• tanks,
• and not sell them to the Nazi's which could have happened since we were not at war for the first 2 years of WWII.

This is why we have the Defense Production Act.
Now we are forcing GM to make ventilators. Because GM was not doing it when hospitals were screaming for ventilators.

By the way, the Gov't is between manufacturers in daily life a lot of the time, Gov't sets regulations the manufacturers have to follow in order to sell.
Example would be: No lead in the paint manufactured for painting houses.

Interesting, but you said "send 98% of all masks they make to the gov't".

 

[Ready]

This is an article from NYTimes, it may be behind the paywall. It's just an opinion piece by a science writer though...

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/...tion=click&module=Top Stories&pgtype=Homepage

TITLE: More Americans Should Probably Wear Masks for Protection



When researchers conducted systematic review of a variety of interventions used during the SARS outbreak in 2003, they found that washing hands more than 10 times daily was 55 percent effective in stopping virus transmission, while wearing a mask was actually more effective — at about 68 percent. Wearing gloves offered about the same amount of protection as frequent hand-washing, and combining all measures — hand-washing, masks, gloves and a protective gown — increased the intervention effectiveness to 91 percent.

I think this article is accurate. There is a reason that everyone in China was wearing masks during the outbreak.

But if we as consumers need to wear a mask when we go shopping at Costco, what about all of the Costco employees who are there eight hours a day? If we need them clearly they do as well, but none of those people are wearing masks or even gloves. And it’s unlikely they would be able to purchase enough to supply every employee with one at this point anyway.

 

[travelover]

How does a company like GM, who has never produced anything but cars, suddenly ramp up and become a ventilator manufacturer?

It is political theater. GM for the most part, assembles parts made by someone else.

 

[Ready]

It is political theater. GM for the most part, assembles parts made by someone else.

Well, if I get sick and need a ventilator to survive, I’m going to request a Mercedes or BMW made one. If I’m going to have to live with one of those things for weeks on end, it better be a luxury brand with premium finishes and polished wood trim.

 

[Lakewood90712]

How does a company like GM, who has never produced anything but cars, suddenly ramp up and become a ventilator manufacturer?

Well , GM is Government Motors , right ? , oh sorry, that was the 2008 crisis

 

[JoeWras]

This is an article from NYTimes, it may be behind the paywall. It's just an opinion piece by a science writer though...

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/health/us-coronavirus-face-masks.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

TITLE: More Americans Should Probably Wear Masks for Protection

When researchers conducted systematic review of a variety of interventions used during the SARS outbreak in 2003, they found that washing hands more than 10 times daily was 55 percent effective in stopping virus transmission, while wearing a mask was actually more effective — at about 68 percent. Wearing gloves offered about the same amount of protection as frequent hand-washing, and combining all measures — hand-washing, masks, gloves and a protective gown — increased the intervention effectiveness to 91 percent.

Alleluia. Finally an article of sanity from the NY Times. It also talks about the problem of asymptomatic sufferers, and the role they play in spreading. It is going to be opinion because it goes against the CDC and WHO's current wishy-washy statements.

This dovetails nicely with their blog article from two days ago discussing how 45 of 60 members of a choir got sick, 1 dying. They weren't touching each other. Everyone felt well. Singing is a great way for an asymptomatic person to shed some particles.

PS: I'm not an NYT subscriber but they opened the paywall for today's article out of concern for coronavirus issues.

 

[Another Reader]

Well, if I get sick and need a ventilator to survive, I’m going to request a Mercedes or BMW made one. If I’m going to have to live with one of those things for weeks on end, it better be a luxury brand with premium finishes and polished wood trim.

I want one that won't fall apart before 10,000 breaths. Can we get Toyota in on this?

 

[Ready]

I want one that won't fall apart before 10,000 breaths. Can we get Toyota in on this?

If it fails all you have to do is press a button and Onstar will take care of you. If you’re still alive of course.

 

[redshift]

This is what I have been telling anyone who would listen!

This is an article from NYTimes, it may be behind the paywall. It's just an opinion piece by a science writer though...

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/...tion=click&module=Top Stories&pgtype=Homepage

TITLE: More Americans Should Probably Wear Masks for Protection



When researchers conducted systematic review of a variety of interventions used during the SARS outbreak in 2003, they found that washing hands more than 10 times daily was 55 percent effective in stopping virus transmission, while wearing a mask was actually more effective — at about 68 percent. Wearing gloves offered about the same amount of protection as frequent hand-washing, and combining all measures — hand-washing, masks, gloves and a protective gown — increased the intervention effectiveness to 91 percent.

 

[gauss]

Yes - and eyeglasses.

It reduces the temptation to "touch my face" while I am out in a potential non-virus free environment. I have heard that hands to face is a large transmission vector.

-gauss

 

[mn54]

not going into any stores until this is over. shopping for groceries online. driving up and having them put into car. wiping them down when getting home.

 

[schellem]

I just can't get over all this stuff when we most likely just have a new strain of the flu thats been blown way out of proportion.

 

[kaneohe]

This is what I think.

Just a few days ago, many said this is just like a flu. Flu killed a lot more people, so what is the big deal. I doubt anyone is saying that now.

The same with wearing a mask to protect yourself. Sooner or later you have to go out of your home to buy more food, medicine, or even go to your doctor's appointment. I see from news many Europeans begin to wear one. As the cases rise in US, more will start to wear.

When your community is overrun, do you still want to say to yourself, masks won't protect me so why bother, or you will take that as a precaution no matter how small the possibility is, say just 1%, and put one on?

I know I am getting myself ready to put one on. I just hope people stop ridiculing others who chose to wear.

agree w/ you........seems like a one-sided bet, might not help but won't make things worse and might help.

 

[capjak]

agree w/ you........seems like a one-sided bet, might not help but won't make things worse and might help.

If people have it and are asymptomatic it could help them from spreading it to others.

If you do wear one, make sure you don't touch your face all the time adjusting it to make it more comfortable. Don't touch the outside/front of mask as it could have viral particles (flu/cold/covid-19) and than touch your face. Do not reuse the mask if disposable dispose of it properly. Do not believe you are safer because you have one on and forget to wash your hands after removing it.

 

[Kwirk]

Do not reuse the mask if disposable dispose of it properly.

This may be ideal but probably isn't wise with the severe mask shortage. May be better to sterilize and reuse it. (Place in a paper bag and then place in an oven at 190F for 30 minutes, or so? That's my current plan until I see authoritative instructions for home coronavirus inactivation.)


And, of course, be careful when handling a contaminated mask followed by hand washing.

 

[travelover]

I just can't get over all this stuff when we most likely just have a new strain of the flu thats been blown way out of proportion.

I know, if only everyone was as smart as you.....