
Ask HN: What if every one wears hand-gloves and a face mask for Covid-19? - sdhankar
Its probably a naive question, though I wonder if its a viable option to distance people from the virus itself by wearing hand gloves and masks for full face. The economics of providing the safety gear should be very cost effective compared to shutting down the countries IMO and the mechanism is as affective as doctors practicing their regular routine safely in hospital in the midst of all germs and viruses.
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npalmer76
So, wearing a mask in public is not about avoiding getting sick. It is about
not getting OTHERS sick. You may be an asymptomatic carrier and the mask
filters your droplets out and keeps them from contaminating surfaces other
people will touch. In many asian cultures this is considered common courtesy.

~~~
pmachinery
Some people may be courteous enough to wear a mask when sick, but most people
wearing a mask in Asian countries are not sick and being courteous, they are
(sensibly) trying to avoid becoming sick.

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dredmorbius
There are not, at present, enough PPE[1] to allow for this.

If there were, then use, even haphazard and inexpert use, would slow
transmission, reducing R0.

As there isn't, allocating PPE to highest priority, maximally effective, and
most capability-preserving uses, is appropriate:

\- Medical personnel, especially those with high exposure to (possibly)
infected individuals, and with high and hard-to-replace skills.

\- Others in high contact with the public performing critical work: first
responders, retail and delivery workers, some construction and manufacturing
workers.

\- The known or presumed ill, when in contact with uninfected individuals.

\- High-at-risk individuals: the elderly, immunocompromised, pregnant, or with
preexisting conditions, if exposed to possibly infected. individuals.

If you are not a member of one of these groups, _or even if you are but can
reasonably and safely isolate yourself_ , any PPE is better reserved for those
who have greater need or provide greater societal benefit.

It's not that PPE doesn't work (though this has definitely been part of
messaging). It's not that most people cannot put it on, take it off, wear it,
or choose where and when to use it for even reasonable efficacy (though this
is often true).

It's not that asymptomatic carriers aren't potentially contagious (they are).

IT'S THAT THERE SIMPLY ISN'T ENOUGH FOR CRITICAL USES ALL OVER THE WORLD.

And that shortage will make the epidemic far worse, far faster, and in a far
more overwhelming manner, for everyone.

You and your friends, family, and community included.

Other than a small supply for use should you or household members fall ill,
_spare supplies for critical needs first_ , so long as shortages persist.

[https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2...](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600\(20\)30134-X/fulltext)

[https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/covid-19-when-...](https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/covid-19-when-
should-you-wear-a-face-mask/)

[https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-
strategy/f...](https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-
strategy/face-masks.html)

[https://time.com/5794729/coronavirus-face-
masks/](https://time.com/5794729/coronavirus-face-masks/)

________________________________

Notes:

1\. Personal protective equipment, including face masks, gloves, protective
eyeware, gowns, etc.

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JMTQp8lwXL
Most people (non medical professionals) couldn't take off gloves properly
without contaminating themselves. Same thing with putting on and taking off a
face mask. It'd provide a false sense of security.

~~~
extropic-engine
these are the cdc guidelines for removing gloves safely. it's literally the
simplest and most obvious thing in the world. i rarely wore gloves before this
and this is what i have been doing with my gloves the entire time. why do you
think this would be difficult for people?

[https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/pdf/poster-how-to-remove-
glove...](https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/pdf/poster-how-to-remove-gloves.pdf)

~~~
JMTQp8lwXL
Sample bias. If you put shaving cream all over the gloves, and tell a person
to remove them without coming to contact with the shaving cream, they usually
do contact the shaving cream (which represents bacteria).

Most people will not intuitively remove gloves in a hygienic manner. While
this can be solved with education, the gloves without the education is false
protection.

