Masks and the increase in COVID cases

[TxBowHntr]

I was thinking about this the other day, and I wanted to pose the question to the green screen.

With all the mandates requiring masks in businesses, thus forcing individuals to comply, does this have a negative effect to the desired result?

Here is my thought process. Specific to cloth masks, and not medical ones that are used and discarded after every use:
If I am wearing a cloth mask and it is in fact stopping some of the COVID, then it essentially becomes a COVID soaked rag that I continually put over my nose and mouth throughout the day. Wouldn't this actually INCREASE my chances to get COVID?
For those that say it is to prevent those that have it from spreading it, cloth masks have been proven to not stop all (hardly any at all if you want to do the research) COVID. So some COVID would be in the air, filtered by my mask, potentially putting me at a higher chance of contracting it. Thus making it worse for others around me, etc... You can see the cycle.

What do you think? Are we putting ourselves, and as a result, the population at risk by wearing cloth masks?

[TWP]

That isn't how virus load works, you need actual droplets with enough of a virus load to technically get you sick. Covid doesn't float around in the air, it has to be part of a larger droplet and in enough of a density to make you sick. The masks don't stop virus spread per se, they stop droplets with enough load to make you sick. That is the story anyway.

Do what you can or want to do, we are all part of this whole wide world. Good, bad or ugly. Either way, this is going to get ugly.

[TxAg]

The mask just keeps your water vapor in your face and others in their face. It doesnt actually stop the virus. So reducing the amount of water vapor in the air is helpful. But only if everyone does it.

[TxBowHntr]

I understand that it is in the vapor and not just the air, but doesn't that mean my mask is collecting/soaking up the vapor? The study linked below is what got me thinking about it. They tested healthcare workers using no masks, medical masks, and cloth masks albeit against flu like diseases and not COVID specifically. The results concluded that medical masks were best, no mask was second, and cloth masks were worse citing poor filtration, reusability, and moisture retention.

https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/4/e006577

[Johnny44]

I’m of the conspiracy there exist another source of contamination on purpose. Have you ever seen what the scientists working with biological agents use, it ain’t a stupid mask like we wear. Yes, one’s mask is contaminated with one’s own goop and juices and possibly someone else’s . The only possible purpose it could provide is to stop a mass spray of folk’s goop with velocity. Otherwise its more of a liability scientifically.

[BrianL]

I understand that it is in the vapor and not just the air, but doesn't that mean my mask is collecting/soaking up the vapor? The study linked below is what got me thinking about it. They tested healthcare workers using no masks, medical masks, and cloth masks albeit against flu like diseases and not COVID specifically. The results concluded that medical masks were best, no mask was second, and cloth masks were worse citing poor filtration, reusability, and moisture retention.

https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/4/e006577

Based off your link that was a study of one use medical mask are better than
reused cloth mask.


I think most would agree with that.

"Objective The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of cloth masks to medical masks in hospital healthcare workers (HCWs). The null hypothesis is that there is no difference between medical masks and cloth masks."

[TxBowHntr]

Based off your link that was a study of one use medical mask are better than
reused cloth mask.


I think most would agree with that.

"Objective The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of cloth masks to medical masks in hospital healthcare workers (HCWs). The null hypothesis is that there is no difference between medical masks and cloth masks."

I agree that 1 time use masks are a no brainer, but that is not what most people are using right now. The part of the study that surprised me was that no masks performed better than cloth masks. Per the new order here, I have to wear a mask, but it was just something that got me thinking that maybe by pushing these mandates, the problem could be getting worse, and not better.

[BrianL]

I don't think so, but hospital staff working with Covid patients should not wear cloth mask as they don't prevent, and likely increase chance of getting sick. That is totally different than a Covid patient wearing a cloth mask to reduce his/her spreading the Covid.

[Kevin]

Occam's Razor

The simplest answer is most likely the correct one.

In this case I’ve seen hundreds of people out without masks. Those with masks are often not social distancing. People are living like the virus is a hoax. I was not surprised when I heard we are having more and more infected.

[Reaper]

Occam's Razor

The simplest answer is most likely the correct one.

In this case I’ve seen hundreds of people out without masks. Those with masks are often not social distancing. People are living like the virus is a hoax. I was not surprised when I heard we are having more and more infected.

Bingo

[BayouCat]

From what I've seen, people are using the cloth masks more as a fashion statement and not for its true purpose (or lack of). And probably a big percentage of those individuals are constantly touching it or readjusting it therefore further contaminating it.

Give me distance and no mask any day.

[TxBowHntr]

I don't think so, but hospital staff working with Covid patients should not wear cloth mask as they don't prevent, and likely increase chance of getting sick. That is totally different than a Covid patient wearing a cloth mask to reduce his/her spreading the Covid.

Good point. So a new question arises:

If a mask on a COVID positive person helps reduce the spread, but a mask on a non COVID person increases their chance to get it, thus spreading the virus, what is the end result? are we better off with or without masks? I would like to see a study on how much masks prevent the spread vs how much they increase it in healthy people and see which is the greater good.

[Briar Friar]

The proper donning and doffing of a mask makes a big difference in spreading the virus/contaminants. That is really the reason why many “professional whatevers” said masks dont help...because of peoples ignorance of proper procedure... aside from the fact that there were no masks to be had...public panic had to be stemmed. Imagine if right off the bat all researchers said masks were needed and no masks were to be found...the level of hysteria wouldve been off the charts. Thats why I was cool with alot of reports lying to the general public.

I quarantine and sterilize my cloth masks between use. They ride in the bed of the truck between use. If I was in a public setting daily...Id have two (more) buckets in the bed of my truck...one for sterilized masks ready to use and one for used masks. Check out the CDCs PDFs that they have had on the website way prior to lockdowns (February 2020) for the proper donning amd doffing of PPE.

If Im in a store and I see an employee constantly fiddling with the front of their mask...I politely point out their action and encourage keeping their hands off the mask...which you are right is a concentrated area for virus. I also try to offer suggestions on how to better secure their mask and hopefully and subsequently less touching of their masks and face.

Im in the process of training my kids to properly don and doff their mask and make adjustments from the rear not their face. Its easier said than done.

[CaptainDave]

Occam's Razor

The simplest answer is most likely the correct one.

In this case I’ve seen hundreds of people out without masks. Those with masks are often not social distancing. People are living like the virus is a hoax. I was not surprised when I heard we are having more and more infected.

I hate to say it, but I kind of agree with this. We live in a pretty busy area on the West side of Houston.

Rewind a couple months back to April and I'd say 95% plus people in the grocery store, etc., were wearing mask. Actually, if you didn't have one on, you were in a very small minority. Not to mention, everything in sight was being sprayed down with disinfectant and people were literally going out of their way to maintain social distancing. HEB and other grocery stores even had employees designated as sanitation employees. However, about the time of Memorial Day weekend, I noticed the % of people wearing masks in the stores was down to 50% or less, less sanitation employees, less social distancing, etc. It was also rather apparent that many let their guards down for the holiday weekend and we also know that the various protests, etc., did nothing to help.

So apparently, now we are seeing a spike. Is it coincidental that the spike followed a period of time that it was obvious most people began letting their guard down? I'm not a medical expert, but it doesn't seem out of the question. I've also seen at least 4 restaurants within a mile of our house have to close temporarily due to having an employee(s) test positive for Covid. Florida is apparently having the same issue, which is not surprising either.

[Bassdeer]

Who knows? next week they will be telling us that the mask is the whole problem and to quit wearing it.