
Covid19 DIY Face-Mask - farenganick
https://mask-id.web.app/EN.html
======
obscura
From what I read, these are only useful if you're sick and trying to reduce
transmission. While they're better than nothing, they're not better than
proper masks. [1] Isolation, social distancing, covering your mouth/nose
correctly when you cough/sneeze and handwashing are more effective measures.
[2]

I don't imagine that these DIY masks should be used more than once (as is the
case with most masks), so you'll probably need to make a lot of them.

[1]
[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258525804_Testing_t...](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258525804_Testing_the_Efficacy_of_Homemade_Masks_Would_They_Protect_in_an_Influenza_Pandemic)
[2] "Should I wear a mask to protect myself?": [https://www.who.int/news-
room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses](https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-
detail/q-a-coronaviruses)

~~~
nisuni
> From what I read, these are only useful if you're sick and trying to reduce
> transmission.

Governments have been telling this, as well, but it cannot be 100% true. I
supposed it was a white lie to prevent people from stockpiling.

Otherwise, there would be no use in medical personnel using masks.

I can understand that face masks might not be the best measure for healthy
people, I can understand that they might not be super-effective, I can also
understand that only certain types of masks are effective, but I cannot
rationally believe all masks are completely useless.

~~~
joppy
Surgical-style masks are designed to catch droplets from the wearer, and
therefore prevent the wearer infecting others. They are _not_ useful in the
reverse direction, only those other super-tight masks are.

So if you are healthy right now, you should probably not be wearing a surgical
mask. However there is a use for healthy medical professionals wearing a
surgical mask, which is to prevent them from becoming a vector for the virus
as much as possible. Since a medical professional may see many patients in a
day, and only days later learn that one of their patients was infected (and
therefore they may be also), the surgical mask will be moderately effective at
preventing infection of the numerous people they have seen in the meantime.

Hypothetically it would be great if we could all wear masks for the protection
of others, such as they have been doing in Taiwan (amongst other places).
However, the shortage of masks means that we should deploy them where they are
most effective, which is medical professionals. (Taiwan actually mobilised
their military to ramp up mask production, it’s not like they just magically
had enough masks for everyone).

~~~
endorphone
Surgical-style masks catch droplets going in either direction (of course) --
whatever protection it offers going out it offers going in as well, which is
fairly obvious from a basic analysis. Of course it won't protect against
individual viruses, but for many vectors that are not actually airborne but
instead are in relatively large airborne droplets of fluid -- including this
virus -- it can be of some use. Certainly better than nothing.

As a secondary benefit it stops you from touching the critical areas of your
face. Given that we touch our face hundreds to thousands of times a day, a few
adjustments of a mask aren't going to offset that.

The myth that the mask purely protects others is a myth that needs to die. At
this point it is truly destructive.

Given that a surgical mask is only of limited protection, and not total
protection, of course in actual contagion situations medication professionals
should have something _much_ better. Though we're in a situation right now
where the CDC is telling medical professionals to fashion masks out of
bandanas.

But when you see the streets of China where everyone is wearing surgical
masks, or you see some old person walking around with one, note that it
absolutely does reduce their risk. Not anywhere close to completely, but to
some degree.

~~~
joppy
It is a nuanced issue though. There are recommendations from the World Health
Organisation which say that in a community setting, for a well person “a
medical mask is not required, as no evidence is available on its usefulness to
protect non-sick persons“, but that a person with respiratory symptoms
_should_ wear a mask [1].

In a medical setting (or very close contact, like a few metres or so) they do
help in both directions, this is standard “droplet precautions” one usually
takes with a patient.

So while I agree with you that it does help in the medical setting, there is
really no evidence that wearing a mask on the street protects yourself, rather
than protecting others.

[1]: [https://www.who.int/docs/default-
source/coronaviruse/advice-...](https://www.who.int/docs/default-
source/coronaviruse/advice-on-the-use-of-masks-2019-ncov.pdf)

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Cantbekhan
If you just want a surgical type face mask, you can always do this
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNjpH5lBZ8w](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNjpH5lBZ8w)
which is even easier to make.

Yes I know it's not the best filtration. I know it's also not sealed like it
should be. It's not a respirator.

But at least it should keep some obvious droplets in/out. And it's still
"better than nothing at all".

Bonus, also explaining how to make a quick DIY face shield.

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boshomi
Simple Respiratory Mask[1]

[1] Emerg Infect Dis. 2006 Jun; 12(6): 1033–1034. doi: 10.3201/eid1206.051468
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3373043/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3373043/)

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diimdeep
Everyone not sick should be using Respirators classified as N95 / FFP2 / FFP3
or Half Mask with same class filters. This DIY is suitable only for already
sick.

~~~
bdonlan
Ideally, yes, but if you didn't have a suitable respirator already you're
going to have a hard time finding one now.

~~~
Cantbekhan
As some other people mentioned in other threads, aliexpress seems to be
restocked on some "alleged" FFP2 and shipping them including express shipping
with DHL. Risky and expensive bet tho.

[https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000768665097.html](https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000768665097.html)

~~~
benjohnson
China ramped up their production and now that the coast is (mostly) clear
there, we we're bound to see this.

I've ordered a bunch at about $0.50 and if I get the order, I'll be driving
most of them over to one of the local hospitals in Seattle.

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johnchristopher
[https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-materials-make-
diy-...](https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-materials-make-diy-face-
mask-virus/)

I was concerned with the use of cotton but there's room for flexibility.

Still.

Don't make masks so you can hang around outside for hours like you used to.

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indrax
Some furnace filters claim to filter viruses(e.g. filtrete 1500 and higher
from 3M) and seem to still be available in stores/amazon. These should be
repurposed for higher priority users. (Preferably with a better seal than
this.)

~~~
zzzcpan
From filtering point of view viruses are dust particles of roughly 100
nanometers in diameter and aerosols. Lots of filters are designed to filter
this stuff, pretty much all ultrafine particle class filters.

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lazyjones
For this purpose you can just use a scarf, put it over mouth & nose. It
doesn't filter what you inhale, of course.

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koolba
What about those cotton pads women use to remove makeup?

