During the COVID Pandemic, New York’s Mayor Bill de Blasio’s new signature look is a western-style
bandana pulled up over his mouth and nose. No doubt he’s well-intentioned. But
that kind of face-covering is only a hair better than no covering at all.
Science shows it’s a mere 2 percent to 3 percent effective. It’s misleading.
N95 masks, which are molded and fit tight to the face, filter
out 95 percent of viral particles, even the smallest ones. These
masks offer the best protection, but when in short supply, public
officials want them reserved for health care workers on the front lines, so they recommend the public NOT wear them. Again, it’s misleading.
Surgical masks, the kind you see commonly worn in hospitals and
dentists’ offices, are flat and held to the face with elastic. They’re made
from a nonwoven material, polypropylene, that is a somewhat effective filter.
They protect the wearer from about 56 percent of viral droplets emitted by an
infected person nearby, according to research in the British Medical Journal.
Do NOT reuse the mask and avoid touching the outside of the mask,
because it’s likely contaminated after use.
If you have to resort to homemade barriers, keep in mind that the more
layers of cloth, the better the protection. Four layers likely block out 13
percent of viral droplets, compared with the 2 percent blocked with a single
layer, according to a study in Aerosol and Air Quality Research.
Getting everyone to mask up helps to protect the uninfected, and keeps
the unknowingly infected from spreading the virus.
What’s was the root problem during the COVID Pandemic? Year after year after year, through three
presidencies, federal health bureaucrats ignored warnings about inadequate
supplies of masks and other equipment in the event of a pandemic. Ten federal
reports sounded the alarm, even as the nation witnessed SARS, MERS, avian flu
and swine flu that circled the globe. In 2009, during the swine flu outbreak,
the federal Strategic National Stockpile dispersed 85 million N95 masks, as
well as other protective masks. The masks were never replaced afterward.
Remember our Pandemic Lessons Learned: You cannot depend on the government and must take responsibility for the safety and security of you and your family.
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