rhwbullhead

I wore an n95 mask for 9 hours for the first time. Longest prior to that was about 3 hours. It's not too bad. The only point of irritation is on the bridge of my nose but not that big of a deal.

I'm debating if I should try k95 mask to see if it'll be more comfortable.

I started attending poker.games where there isn't social distancing so I feel more comfortable with n95 even though I'm vaccinated. I even wear surgical goggles. I used to have face shield but it felt too hot and fogged up the one time I tried to wear it for 3 hours.

Most likely this is overkill but with this n95 I don't get as worried when people have a nose slip up past the mask (which this place prohibits but often doesnt get corrected for an hour or more).

Im planning on going back to gym but I think I'll try surgical mask as I'd likely go when it's not crowded. I don't think I could exercise in an N95. I figure the gym with 5 people at 3am is less risky than being seated right next to people in poker room.

Back to the main topic, does anyone think i should try k95 or just keep with this n95 that I'm tolerating so far?

StuckInYYZ

My suggestion is, would you feel comfortable with a kn95 mask? There has been debates on whether the kn95 masks being sold actually meet the standards they are supposed to. I have heard on the radio that many of the manufacturers haven't actually had the masks tested (to be fair, I haven't seen any corroborating reports in my other news media so I can't verify this).

But assuming they actually meet standards, I don't see it hurting to try a mask or two for a while to see if you feel comfortable wearing them. For me, if they work, the price difference is quite significant. But if they don't work, I'd rather stick to the N95 (even after getting the vaccine) for anywhere considered "dangerous".

SamirD

I've seen a type of cya legal statement on almost every mask I've seen sold in the last year--'not for medical use'--or something to that effect. If it's a real mask, it won't have that legal cop-out on it.

But most people can't/don't wear a mask properly even if it is a proper medical mask, so keep that in mind in terms of protection. There is no replacement for distance--and the more distance the better.

rhwbullhead

This is partially why I didn't go to gym. Briefly debated going last year with n95 but besides figuring it would hard to breathe, I was afraid I would mess up and not have it sealed properly. At least with vaccine now I know I should be safe.

Good point about the k95. I remember hearing that early on about the k95's being of questionable quality

I ordered the first set from accumed which is a site that was recommended in the fact thread.

They do have this product:
30-Pack N95 Respirator (NIOSH), FDA Cleared Surgical Respirator Mask, Medical Grade Disposable Particulate Filtering Respirator (30 Count)

https://accumed.com/30-pack-fda-clea...ator-mask.html

Last year, they limited purchases of these FDA cleared products to medical facilities but now it's open for all.

I guess there's still the issue of making sure there's is no air leaking out the side.

StuckInYYZ

There's always going to be an air leak of some sort. If there isn't any air flow, you'd suffocate. You just want to minimize exhaling any virus particles and inhaling any as well.

Just keep in mind that airborne particles aren't the only source of spread. That's why everyone is so busy wiping down every surface available.

artemis

There are a few companies that manufacture NIOSH-certified N95 masks here in the US. Here's one source: https://www.unitedstatesmask.com/

The problem is, though, that for a medical-grade N95 mask to truly protect you, it has to fit your face properly, and determining whether or not a particular mask does that required a fit test. Health care workers undergo fit-testing yearly. So even if you have a genuine medical-grade N95, it may not offer the same level of protection that hospital workers enjoy. It's probably better than most masks, though.

SamirD

Interesting link, but that domain has only existed since April 2020, so imo that's the definition of a 'fly-by-night' company that will probably be gone after the pandemic.

SamirD

And no matter how much you wipe down, it will never be enough so you need gloves. But if you want to do it right, you need gloves that go over the cuffs on your head to toe apron. And don't forget your face shield. This is what was the nurse's protocol for <10m icu attendance visits when my dad was in the hospital with covid in a sealed room. I think for anything longer than that, it would have been something like a space suit with its own oxygen, etc.

The proper protections juxtapositioned with what most people are doing gives you a true sense of the level of protection/danger there is out there. Even in its best form, the normal person is seriously outgunned in public. Food for thought.

artemis

Perhaps, but they hope not to be. The important thing, though, is that those are REAL NIOSH-certified medical grade N95 masks, not cheap knockoffs of dubious efficacy, and you can buy them now if you want an N95 mask to wear.

SamirD

Nothing seems to be real in this world anymore. I still have the mask the hospital gave me for visits to see my dad, and I just try to avoid everyone to begin with--much safer that way.

corporate-wage-slave

A better approach will be to get both vaccines as soon as they are offered to you, wear something that's comfortable for you and encourage others to do the same. From real world data, these have the biggest impact over everything else.

StuckInYYZ

To do it right unfortunately would likely be cost prohibitive for most people. But some of the easy stuff like mask, hand sanitizer and a disinfectant spray (saw a number of vloggers doing this)... I know a few people who took a few thing a step further... Although with the new 3rd gen variants (not sure what else to call them) it might not be a bad idea.

The vaccine is important, but so many people seem to think it is the end all of this which it isn't. It's just a component. Socially distancing and good hygiene are also very important components. Anyone who thinks that all they need the vaccine is sadly mistaken. With all the mutations there is no guarantee that the vaccines will be effective against future variants. They might make you resistant, but I wouldn't depend solely on that.

SamirD

It's actually not cost prohibitive, but just terribly inconvenient. It took a full 15 minutes to get out of that getup each time as there was a removal protocol as well.

I'm glad you hit on the vaccine not being a cure. Too many people think just that and hence why the level of problems isn't reducing. I don't think people will think otherwise though, so best to sit still until the body fallout is over.

northinsouth

Take this FWIW, but my wife and I decided to finally see my FIL who is in hospice once we were vaccinated. From what I've read, the vaccinations *should* offer enough protection that even if one got sick, they more or less protect against death or serious illness (Pfizer is something like 95% effective according to a CNBC story yesterday). Yes 5% is still not insignificant, but I it reassured me enough to travel. Of course, YMMV according to risk tolerance, etc.

snic

It's worth using some real-world numbers to put the risks into perspective. Based on these numbers, unless I were immune-compromised I wouldn't wear an N95 mask when travelling now that I'm vaccinated.

The important thing is that the vaccines' ~95% efficacy does NOT mean that you have a 5% risk of getting infected after you've been vaccinated. From the Pfizer study: "there were nine cases of COVID-19 at least seven days after the second dose among 19,965 vaccine recipients and 169 among 20,172 placebo recipients." This is where the 95% comes from: there were 95% fewer cases in the vaccinated group than the placebo group. So what's the real risk of getting infected after being vaccinated? Based on these numbers, 9 divided by 19,965 equals 0.00045, or 0.045%. The study went for 6 months (if I remember right), so the risk of getting infected in one year should be about twice as much - let's say 0.1%. How does that compare with the risk of other events? In the US, the chances of getting into a car accident are about once in 17.9 years, which means an annual risk of 1 divided by 17.9. That's 0.056, or 5.6%. That means that after you've been vaccinated, you have a far higher chance of getting into a car accident than of getting Covid (about 56 times higher).

There are a few caveats to this. First, people in the Pfizer study were social distancing, wearing masks, etc. If you don't make similar efforts to social distance, most likely your chances of getting infected after vaccination will be higher. Second, the risk of getting infected really depends on how many people around you are infectious. Going to a place where few people have been vaccinated and/or the Covid case rate is high will of course increase your chances. Third, as mentioned above, there are variants that are more infectious (although at the moment the vaccines available in the US seem to offer quite good protection against them). Still, even if your chances of getting Covid increase by a lot (say, 20 or 30 times) by traveling, the risk is below that of getting into a car accident. On top of that, it's very clear that the vaccines greatly reduce the risk of severe illness and death even in "breakthrough" cases.

Putting all this together, I think that's enough to convince me I don't need to take extreme precautions when travelling. I am not going to use an N95 mask, face shield, etc. But I will try to social distance whenever possible, and of course wear a surgical mask whenever I'm near people.