topic Re: Possible mistakes with masks in Community Chat

Possible mistakes with masks

FlowerBear — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 16:38:10 GMT

Face masks have become part of the new normal uniform in America following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation that people wear them in public. But simply wearing one doesn’t necessarily mean you’re protected ― or protecting anyone else.

Masks are meant to help prevent you from accidentally spreading or catching an infectious disease that, like COVID-19, is believed to primarily spread through respiratory droplets. Since 25% of people infected with the novel coronavirus may not be experiencing symptoms, according to an estimate from CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield, everyone is encouraged to wear masks to protect others while in public.

“We know that there are people that are asymptomatic that could spread the virus before they have symptoms. I think we need to work under the concept that anyone you run into could potentially infect you,” said Thomas Russo, the chief of the infectious disease division at the University of Buffalo. “That is the ugly reality of this epidemic.”

To help stop the spread of COVID-19, you need to put on your mask the right way and avoid making these simple yet consequential mistakes:

MISTAKE 1: Your face mask only covers your mouth.

If you are wearing your mask low so it only covers your mouth, you’re doing it wrong, and you risk becoming ill or making someone else ill.

“We often breathe partially or completely through our nose, and you can [become infected] by breathing viral particles,” Russo said. “Likewise, if you’re infected and your mask is down just covering your mouth, if you sneeze ... then you can generate respiratory droplets in that fashion.”

If your nose is not covered by the mask, you also risk contamination from the mask itself, which collects germs and droplets on its exterior.

“If the nostrils are peeking out above the mask and the external edge of the mask is rubbing against the nostrils, cross-contamination could occur from the mask to the nose,” said Lucy Wilson, the chair of the department of emergency health services at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

MISTAKE 2: Your mask comes in contact with your body or your stuff. Do not touch the front of your mask with your hands after using one, because the front of the mask could be contaminated.

If the coronavirus gets on your clothes, face or body, and your loose mask touches those things, that’s a problem, too.

“Concern for improperly wearing a mask is based on the risk of contamination,” Wilson said. “If the inside of the mask touches another part of the body that is contaminated with the virus ― hair, forehead, chin, neck, hands, other clothing ― then the inside of the mask is returned to the nose and mouth area [where there are] vulnerable mucous membranes, infection can occur.

And don’t leave it resting on your neck when not on your face.

“It’s better for the mask not to be around your neck if you’ve already been wearing it, because then if there was any type of contamination, you don’t want [to be] wearing that around your neck,” said Erin Sorrell, an assistant research professor in Georgetown University’s department of microbiology and immunology.

“The whole purpose of the face mask is to protect your nose and mouth from your own coughs and sneezes and protecting others, or protecting you from large spills or large droplets.”

To properly put on and take off a mask, you also need to be careful not to touch the front of the mask when removing it, the CDC warns. Instead of touching the mask itself, remove the mask by holding the ear loops or ties. Once it’s off, you can put the face mask in a ziplock bag or separate containment area, Sorrell said. “The idea is then you’re preventing it from contaminating other surfaces and you’re not playing around with it as it hangs around your neck.”

Remember to wash your hands before and after you put a face mask on or take it off, medical experts advise.

MISTAKE 3: Your mask hangs too loosely on your face.

When worn properly, N95 respirators that doctors use are closely fitted to the face. But if you are using a surgical mask or a homemade cloth mask, you may be letting the sides gap loosely.

You don’t want the mask to billow out this way. Sorrell said the goal is to create a barrier that blocks out as much air as possible. “You are not going to get a perfect seal with a surgical mask or with a homemade mask, but you want to make sure it fits properly,” Sorrell said. “It needs to be comfortable so that you’ll wear it, but secure enough that it doesn’t slide down.”

“With surgical masks, there tends to be a little bit of gap on the sides,” Russo said. “People need to do the best they can to tighten up that space with the straps.”

Russo also noted that beards can prevent masks from fitting closely, and recommended that people with them at least trim their beards close to their faces. “The bigger, the fluffier the beard is, the mask is going to lose its optimal functionality as well,” he said.

MISTAKE 4: Your face mask covers only the tip of your nose.

This CDC infographic demonstrates how your mask should be covering the bridge of your nose. (Photo: CDC)

It’s key to put your mask on the bridge of your nose, not at the end of it, so that you can create the best seal you can with the mask you have.

“If you [are covering] just the tip of your nose, that’s going to leave big air gaps on the top of your mask for air to be able to come in and out,” Sorrell said. “That’s why we recommend that the mask sits on the bridge of your nose and not the tip.”

MISTAKE 5: You don’t properly clean your mask if you reuse it.

If you’re planning to reuse your mask, you need to make sure it does not become one more contamination zone. The CDC says you can wash homemade fabric masks in a washing machine.

“I would wash them every day,” Sorrell said. “Then you’re at least making sure that your mask is clean on a daily basis.”

Medical experts have previously told HuffPost that disposable N95 masks can also be steamed over a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes, but need to be dry before use.

Once a mask is visibly soiled or damaged, safely dispose of it.

Re: Possible mistakes with masks

fitfuninformed — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 16:33:36 GMT

Ugh, thank you?

Re: Possible mistakes with masks

FlowerBear — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 16:37:12 GMT

@fitfuninformed I know just what you mean! When i read this I thought wow that is alot to remember and do right!!

Re: Possible mistakes with masks

BlueFinch — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 16:37:42 GMT

@FlowerBear Yes, this is just about everything one needs to know about face masks. Btw, every time I see your little flower bear face pop up, it makes me smile. So cute!

Re: Possible mistakes with masks

FlowerBear — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 16:39:26 GMT

@BlueFinch SO much to be sure and do right! Scary! Aww that is nice to hear I adore you user ID name!

Re: Possible mistakes with masks

Alison Wonderland — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 16:48:09 GMT

Ummm... where are his eyes? Aren't they also under his mask when it's worn there? How does one see if that's how you wear a mask? The top of his mask is where my glasses sit and my eyes are conveniently located behind my glasses.

I like this picture better:

Source: NYT article called "How NOT to Wear a Mask" with examples of How to and how not to.

Re: Possible mistakes with masks

FlowerBear — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 16:47:52 GMT

@Alison Wonderland Good question!! When I wear my Sunglasses I could not wear a mask as high!

Re: Possible mistakes with masks

FlowerBear — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 16:48:22 GMT

@Alison Wonderland yes second pic for sure so much better!!!

Re: Possible mistakes with masks

millieshops — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 16:50:56 GMT

@FlowerBearIt is a lot. I'll even admit to feeling a bit resentful as I prep myself to get out of the car at the supermarket.

But I'm doing it - it's my job, both to protect myself but also all around me.

I want everyone else in that circle to do the same job, and if it's small to resent those who don't, then I'm small.

Re: Possible mistakes with masks

FlowerBear — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 16:54:27 GMT

@millieshops Yes alot. I see many without a mask. I have asthma and it is hard to breathe in my mask so I put it on in the car and wait about 10 minutes before I go in, to get used to it. I even feel a little anxiety at first but get over it in time in the car!! I will keep doing this to hopefully be safe!

Re: Possible mistakes with masks

GinaV24 — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 17:25:37 GMT

I'm still trying to figure out how to wear the face covering and not have my glasses steam up! I guess I can try putting the glasses on with it on top of the top edge of the mask. I'll have to experiment with this.

Re: Possible mistakes with masks

ECBG — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 19:12:21 GMT

@millieshops wrote:
@FlowerBearIt is a lot. I'll even admit to feeling a bit resentful as I prep myself to get out of the car at the supermarket.

But I'm doing it - it's my job, both to protect myself but also all around me.

I want everyone else in that circle to do the same job, and if it's small to resent those who don't, then I'm small.

@millieshops I do exactly what you described. I just saw an article today about the loss of a 6 year old from the virus. I just saw two young 30's in the grocery store with two small children the same age last week. One of those parents should have stayed in the car with those children to protect them. Also, they wore no mask or gloves.

Re: Possible mistakes with masks

SusieQ_2 — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 19:22:46 GMT

@GinaV24 wrote:
I'm still trying to figure out how to wear the face covering and not have my glasses steam up! I guess I can try putting the glasses on with it on top of the top edge of the mask. I'll have to experiment with this.

@GinaV24

I don't wear glasses other than sunglasses but I read about this when I was trying to keep my car windows from fogging up. As the world's biggest procrastinator I never actually tried it so I don't know if it works. Still, it could be worth a try.

Keep Glass from Fogging Up with a Bit of Shaving Cream

"Clean your glasses with shaving foam. ... This works because the soap (which is really what does the job—any soap will do, shaving cream is just easiest to use) creates a protective film over the glass that keeps it from fogging. A little goes a long way, all you need is a dab or two—even on your car's windshield."

Re: Possible mistakes with masks

Mz iMac — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 20:24:15 GMT

@GinaV24 I also wear glasses & had an issue w/fogged up glasses wearing a mask. What SusieQ_2 posted works as well as spit.

Re: Possible mistakes with masks

Moonlady — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 20:31:25 GMT

I haven't seen ONE person (yet) with his mask covering his eyes, but what some consider to be "protective" is almost laughable.

The majority of the surgical masks I've seen aren't even tied correctly. When improperly secured, there are huge gaps on both sides, and sometimes at the top or bottom.

And, yes, people are allowing them to hang from their necks, too. On more than one occasion, I've seen these shoppers grab a cart from the cart return, then stop to pull up the mask before they enter the store. Yuck.

And the masked cell phone yakkers? Yuck, again. There are few things filthier and more pathogen-laden than cell phones. I've even seen shopping "buddies" pull down their respective masks as they carry on a conversation--up, down, up, down...When people refer to cross-contamination, or masks being yet another "contamination zone," they're not kidding.

Speaking of cross-contamination and contamination zones, let's not forget the gloves. One local store had a sign on the door asking customers to remove them. Again, the gloved ones grab random shopping carts, then proceed to touch everything in the store, from produce to cans, cross-contaminating everything. And most don't even remove them properly.l
Clearly, these are examples of that "false sense of security" the medical community warned us about.

Re: Possible mistakes with masks

Alison Wonderland — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 14:24:14 GMT

@GinaV24 wrote:
I'm still trying to figure out how to wear the face covering and not have my glasses steam up! I guess I can try putting the glasses on with it on top of the top edge of the mask. I'll have to experiment with this.

If you can get a mask with a wire in the nose part, it will make a tighter seal and glasses will fog less. I also purchased some anti-fogging sprays for mine. It's definitely a challenge.