Face masks from the chemist 31 March 2020 at 9:53PM in Coronavirus Support and Help 29 replies 1.7K views

borderline

Has anyone found any face masks at any chemist ? How much do they charge roughly ? are they good quality ?
I see many on amazon with very poor reviews and of course they come from China . So no thank you

mattyprice4004

borderline said:

Has anyone found any face masks at any chemist ? How much do they charge roughly ? are they good quality ?
I see many on amazon with very poor reviews and of course they come from China . So no thank you

Most are made in China, but there's no risk as it can't live on surfaces for very long.
If you're going on an anti-China mission, you're going to be very disappointed when you read most of the labels in your house!

neilmcl

Unless you're a health professional you really shouldn't need to wear a mask. Not only the majority of ones will on their own offer little protection, most people don't wear them correctly, they do nothing to protect the eyes, and ultimately they can actually increase the risk of you catching the virus.

The most common way people are catching Covid-19 is by transfer from the hands to the face, hence the requirement to wash our hands regularly and  thoroughly. Consider how many times you would bring your hands in contact around your face whilst wearing a mask throughout the day with all the adjusting, taking it on and off etc.

Pollycat

Claim: ‘Face masks don’t work’

Wearing a face mask is certainly not an iron-clad guarantee that you won’t get sick – viruses can also transmit through the eyes and tiny viral particles, known as aerosols, can penetrate masks. However, masks are effective at capturing droplets, which is a main transmission route of coronavirus, and some studies have estimated a roughly fivefold protection versus no barrier alone (although others have found lower levels of effectiveness).

If you are likely to be in close contact with someone infected, a mask cuts the chance of the disease being passed on. If you’re showing symptoms of coronavirus, or have been diagnosed, wearing a mask can also protect others. So masks are crucial for health and social care workers looking after patients and are also recommended for family members who need to care for someone who is ill – ideally both the patient and carer should have a mask.

However, masks will probably make little difference if you’re just walking around town or taking a bus so there is no need to bulk-buy a huge supply.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/01/can-face-mask-protect-me-from-coronavirus-covid-19-myths-busted

Pollycat

Better link - from World Health Organisation:

• If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection.
• Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing.
• Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
• If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it properly.

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks

SnowMan

Common sense should tell you that masks work. And the countries such as Taiwan who have been managing this brilliantly all advocate mask warning.

Best to make your own home made mask, lots of videos on the internet.

Here is one source of information on the evidence

https://www.zoeharcombe.com/2020/04/covid-19-do-masks-help/

neilmcl

SnowMan said:

Common sense should tell you that masks work. And the countries such as Taiwan who have been managing this brilliantly all advocate mask warning.

Best to make your own home made mask, lots of videos on the internet.

Here is one source of information on the evidence

https://www.zoeharcombe.com/2020/04/covid-19-do-masks-help/

And countries such as China who's population quite commonly were wearing masks as a matter of course before the pandemic didn't do so brilliantly. Common sense tells you that unless your wearing full PPE such as worn by frontline medical staff you can still quite easily get the virus when using masks alone.

All the media are today are jumping on this story that some study in the US has shown the virus can spread further, over 6 to 8 metres but this isn't what has been proven in the slightest. All that's been shown is that under lab conditions some of the smallest molecules from coughing and sneezing can travel these distances, which tbh has never been disputed. They haven't for example shown that Covid-19, or any similar virus, could travel this distance nor have they shown that a standard surgical facemask would reduce the risk from catching said virus in real world conditions.

d63

SnowMan said:

Common sense should tell you that masks work. And the countries such as Taiwan who have been managing this brilliantly all advocate mask warning.

Best to make your own home made mask, lots of videos on the internet.

Here is one source of information on the evidence

https://www.zoeharcombe.com/2020/04/covid-19-do-masks-help/

common sense is the last thing one should rely on.
once upon a time common sense would have it  that great lumps of rocks do not fall from out of a clear blue sky. nowadays meteorites happen.
maybe you're right about face masks, maybe you're wrong, some people will agree with you, even more won't.
in this new age of disinformation who can one believe? maybe trust no-one is best?

SnowMan

d63 said:

SnowMan said:

Common sense should tell you that masks work. And the countries such as Taiwan who have been managing this brilliantly all advocate mask warning.

Best to make your own home made mask, lots of videos on the internet.

Here is one source of information on the evidence

https://www.zoeharcombe.com/2020/04/covid-19-do-masks-help/

common sense is the last thing one should rely on.
once upon a time common sense would have it  that great lumps of rocks do not fall from out of a clear blue sky. nowadays meteorites happen.
maybe you're right about face masks, maybe you're wrong, some people will agree with you, even more won't.
in this new age of disinformation who can one believe? maybe trust no-one is best?

Common sense is OK where it is backed up by the data and evidence as it is here. 

Masks aren't on their own going to stop the virus spreading but they do seem to be extremely effective along with other lockdown measures, as China shows.

If we look at Europe, look at the graph for the Czechs who mandated mask wearing. And let's see if Austria who have made masks compulsory recently follow the Czechs.

https://twitter.com/jeremyphoward/status/1245077830863593480

gettingtheresometime

Have you got a buff - wouldn't that do the job as well- some would say better as it can be washed?

neilmcl

SnowMan said:

Masks aren't on their own going to stop the virus spreading but they do seem to be extremely effective along with other lockdown measures, as China shows

China hasn't shown the effectiveness of face masks in the population at all. As I mentioned earlier, countries such as China routinely wear face masks but that didn't do a lot for the community spread of the virus there. What was effective was the severe lockdown conditions and mass testing, contact tracing and subsequent isolation.

I'm not going to say a mask has no little affect but this affect is minimal unless the whole population uses them, they're worn correctly including taking them off without further contamination and disposed of, and backed up with the much more beneficial method of good hand hygiene.