enthusiastictraveler

Proper hygiene and cleanliness will be most helpful especially nowadays. With the vast technological advance, almost everyone forgot to be hygienic, all depending on instant sanitizers

747FC

This is what I expected. Quite strange to me that all the chatter is about wearing/not wearing masks, and nothing in the news talks about protecting the eyes. Granted, it wasn't on my radar until I saw a Chinese guy wearing goggles while standing on an immigration line at Narita. When I got home, i purchased these: https://www.dewalt.com/products/stor...oncealer/dpg82

I don't encounter anyone wearing goggles where I live, but it surely adds an extra layer of protection.

knownothing

It is an airborne virus that attacks the lungs - not the eyes. rare but possible chance of getting conjunctivitis. Also a surgical mask does not protect you from someone else, it protects them from you.

There currently is no "significant" data that you can catch via the eye. Note the article referred to by above states "data may suggest" The p value is NOT significant. All data says that it invades via the respiratory tract. It is not in the blood. How would you propose it gets from eye to lung?

Tiz: You are partly correct. A mask protects everyone from you. If a person has the virus it protects "him" from transmitting it. BUT it does not prevent you from getting it if "he" does not wear a mask

747FC

You might want to read this article written by the American Academy of Opthalmology, dated 4/15/20:

https://www.aao.org/headline/alert-i...avirus-context

Amongst the nuggets:

"Reports of ophthalmologist and otolaryngologist deaths in China and Italy, new data about environmental virus contamination and increased awareness of asymptomatic and presymptomatic spread of new infections all favor mouth, nose, and eye protection."

"Therefore, protecting your mouth, nose (e.g., an N-95 mask) and eyes (e.g., goggles or shield) is recommended when caring for patients potentially infected with COVID-19." [Bolding theirs]

"For any in-office procedures that require physical proximity to the patient (e.g., intravitreal injection, lateral tarsorrhaphy), regardless of geographic location of your practice, the Academy recommends the patient wear a surgical mask or a cloth face covering if surgical masks are in short supply, and that the surgeon wear a surgical mask and eye protection."

"Gown, gloves, surgical mask and eye protection are recommended for the clinician."

s0ssos

No. Everybody acknowledges that this virus can be transmitted by "droplet". Which actually should mean protecting the eyes. Look it up.

knownothing

Again, your article states "several reports suggest..." It may (as all virus's cause a conjunctivitis - but it does not infect via the eye It only does via the respiratory tract https://www.livescience.com/how-coro...cts-cells.html
And the recommendations do not protect the caregiver. Surgical masks DO NOT protect you from someone else, only someone else from you. https://vitals.lifehacker.com/can-a-...rus-1841311686

s0ssos

I'd suggest to use a better source than lifehacker.
But logically, think about this. If a surgical mask doesn't protect you outside the hospital, does it magically protect the person wearing it inside the hospital?

747FC

I think you might reconsider your perspective. Why would the AAO have such strong recommendations to use goggles unless they were convinced (by the data) that there was a probability that eyes are a vector?

knownothing

back to you: why would they say to wear surgical masks when all the data says it only protects the next person, not you? There is NO data that suggests that the eye is a vector. There is suggestion that it may cause a viral conjunctivitis - which is not fun to have but is treatable like all other viral conjunctivitis'
https://www.cdc.gov/conjunctivitis/about/treatment.html

JBord

No, you're right it doesn't. According to the FDA website:

"While a surgical mask may be effective in blocking splashes and large-particle droplets, a face mask, by design, does not filter or block very small particles in the air that may be transmitted by coughs, sneezes, or certain medical procedures. Surgical masks also do not provide complete protection from germs and other contaminants because of the loose fit between the surface of the face mask and your face."

So, if I followed the discussion correctly, you're kind of both right. It provides a minimal level of protection to the wearer, but it's better than nothing. If you're wearing one and someone coughs in your face, you're vulnerable. In surgeries though, they're worn to protect the patient, who is obviously in a vulnerable situation with an open wound. Of course, they also protect the surgeon's face if there's a splash.

knownothing

It DOES NOT protect the person wearing it in the hospital. It protects others from that person. So if everybody wears one, everyone is protected.“Surgical masks will not prevent your acquiring diseases,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University, and the medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases,

Rather, he explained, surgical masks are typically used by surgeons to protect their patients from their mouth-borne germs — but “those masks don't work to prevent inhaling diseases,” said Schaffner.

knownothing

[Rule 12 violation removed by moderator]
show any information that surgical masks as compared to N95 protect the wearer, they protect others from the wearer (it is debatable whether they do provide "some" protectionhey are now recommended as an effective way of slowing the spread of the coronavirus, especially among people who have the virus, but are asymptomatic and still going out in public to get food or supplies. The CDC says:
The coronavirus can spread between people interacting in close proximity -- for example, speaking, coughing or sneezing -- even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms. In light of this new evidence, CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.
Bear in mind that nonmedical face coverings are only effective against spreading the virus if you continue to take social distancing measures and basic hygiene seriously. If you do follow wear face coverings outside, don't let it serve as a false sense of security.

The bottom line? If worn correctly and combined with other virus prevention methods, surgical face masks, N95 respirators and face coverings can help lower the risk of spreading viruses, including the novel coronavirus. But medical-grade protection should be reserved for medical professionals or those who are actively sick and need to leave the house to get medical care. The rest of us should just cover up with a bandana or cloth mask.

The whole reasoning of everyone wearing a mask is that all are 99% protected

[Removed by moderator] Hosp personnel that deal with infected people should wear N95 masks but they are in short supply. Is a surgical mask better than nothing: yes It also prevents you from putting your hands in your mouth

chipmaster

Let me make another random observations

1) Studies have shown that there is no super mutated versions of COVID19 virus ( yes it has mutated )
2) Why is there such a disparity in infection/deaths between some very high density areas ( NYC ) and others ( Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo )
3) Some places like Italy, Britain, Spain and US why is there far higher rates even after social distancing and other actions?

What is the common factors and what are the factors that seem most different in behavior and PPE?

Perhaps others can show me but until recently the US/Europe as a generalization seem very resistant to mask wearing.

jamcoley

Wearing masks can give a false sense of security as your ordinary mask won't really give you as much protection as N95 would. But then considering that many people can be asymptomatic, it helps minimize the spread if you have it but weren't showing symptoms. Personally it has made me more aware of how much I touch my face which also isn't good.

Badenoch

Wearing masks is mandatory if you are flying within or from Canada as of April 20.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/non...avel-1.5536702