Surgical masks aren't suitable to keep COVID-19 out because they have large pores.
I think this is a logical question, maybe the answer is preventing the saliva that is carrying the virus from entering the body via the mouth.
A surgical mask is not suitable protection against virus but it can reduce the direct exposure to droplets containing virus. However, even masks that do provide proper protection have holes larger than the virus particle size. The protection is dependent on the capacity of the fabric to bind the virus to the fibers so more layers of the right kind of fiber is better. Most importantly it must be a tight fit around nose and mouth which is impossible to achieve with a surgical mask as well as most ordinary face masks.
Please see the link below.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tarahaelle/2020/02/29/no-you-do-not-need-face-masks-for-coronavirus-they-might-increase-your-infection-risk
First of all, we need to know that any virus is very small in size, normal surgical masks have pore approx 0.3-10 microns, and viruses are 0.004 to 0.1 microns in size. so how it can prevent virus? but using a mask prevent spreading your body fluids like saliva to other persons.
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7006609648408807231#editor/target=post;postID=5976734431757358688;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=0;src=postname
At least, masks reduce the risk of transmission of the virus, knowing that they are sterile
The pores maybe there but are quite small. This however depends on the company manufacturing the mask. Literature documents that the filtering capacity for surgical masks for covid-19 can range from 10 -90% depending on the manufacturer.
The question of Doctor Zeyad is absolutely remarkable. As an ophthalmologist, I work constantly at a distance below 25 cm from the face of the patient. If the virus has an average size of 60-160 nm and the gaps between the fibers of the fabric (three layers, I suppose) the surgical mask is made of are not smaller than 300 nm (as Dr Biswaijt recalls): it follows then the mechanical filtering capacity of the surgical mask is definitely insufficient against coronavirus. Unless an electrostatic field generates an electric potential between fabric and virus surface the same sign, there is no way to continue recommending the use of surgical masks. Choose a N-95 (ffp2 or ffp3) filtering system, but avoid wearing a surgical mask when you cannot respect the social distance of at least 1 (even better 2) meters.
I am afraid that, at least in Italy, guidelines and recommendations on the use of face masks to cope with the emergency do not stem from sound scientific considerations but depend on the prolonged and unexplainable unavailability of adequate filtering systems. Recommendations must be backed and justified by the scientific literature, so I pinpoint the question of Zeyad: Why guidelines consider surgical masks adequate protections for the population if coronaviruses are so small that it can penetrate through mask......?
Article COVID-19 and Ophthalmologists- Editorial NOVN
Wearing a mask is more about psychological effect to change social behaviour and consequently, to change the antropological base for society evolution through suppression of personal identity, hearthy relationship and freedom for breathing, as about the virus protection. Look at the effort to keep wearing mask and to keep social distance - despite of mask and distance absurdities we are forced to keep health protection ineffective manners.
Please, don´t allow to collaborate on new totality!
The virus is never all by itself in your respiratory tract, but always bound up in a water droplet that can begin to evaporate into an aerosol once exiting your mouth. The virus rarely escapes the cloak of a water droplet of some size, and if it did, it wouldn't live long thereafter. Masks DO NOT work like a sieve except in the case of the largest droplets expelled from your mouth, such as the ones that you can see. The pathway that a mask presents to moving water droplets is a very messy maze where electrostatic forces and brownian motion spell certain doom for 95% o ore of the particles.
Masks absolutely stop the spread of any respiratory virus. It is Physics.
The Head of Pandemic Planning at the Royal College of General Practitioners, Dr Maureen Baker, stated that "Masks become ineffective when they become damp or after a few hours. There has been a lot of debate on the use of face-masks and some authorities say that, in the community, the most effective use is to give to patients who may have symptoms when they present in the surgery – that should help reduce the infectivity of that patient to surgery staff and other patients. I expect the Department of Health will issue guidance on use of face-masks if we move into a pandemic phase." Masks may not protect the wearer from inhalation of the virus, but might protect other people from picking up the virus from the wearer.
Professor John Oxford, a virologist at leading London hospital, The Barts and the London, said: "Really, there is very little evidence that masks actually offer much protection against flu."
Zeyad T. Al-Rrassam Mark Adams Clark Vangilder Jozef Javorka Carlo Aleci
There is NO physics about viruses as virions are too small to study and viruses are trapped inside the cells they have infected. Where are the research papers that document their effectiveness? Sponsored by mask makers? Objective, eh??
This whole Panic is a PsyOp to regress the world to feudalism, organized by the CIA and the other 4 Eyes on behalf of the 1/1000 of the richest 1% with the aid of the Technocrats, like medical staff and Media Idiots. This is a flu variant.
How can a virus that is at least 1,000 times larger than a gas molecule be too small to study? ResearchGate is the wrong place for someone like you to be if you reject basic Science. The rest of what you responded with is too ridiculous to even mention.
Clark Vangilder
It's NOT just the size: it's the fact that it is NOT ALIVE; viruses are packaged chemical parasites existing in two phases: external as VIRIONS and totally inside of an infected cell.
Please explain how one gets hold of these bizarre objects?
You need to read the recent headline article in the Economist on Viruses before sounding off.
Pleas expand on my ridiculous responses; you are a rational scientist, are you not?
So you are unaware that they can (and have) capture(d) viruses within droplets and desiccated salts from evaporation processes? Yes, you are unaware because you are a wingnut. A philosopher pretending to be a scientist. Stop being an irresponsible skeptic.
Yes, I am a rational scientist and strangely you are an irrational philosopher. Sad. I don't have time to deal with idiots such as yourself. Please do not reproduce and leave me alone now.
I'll leave you with just one example that you are absolutely clueless and should shut up now.
Surgical mask partition reduces the risk of non-contact transmission in a golden Syrian hamster model for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciaa644/5848814
And here's a video on the Physics of masks, which is the same thing that MERV and HEPA filters do.
https://youtu.be/CpbJFk311Lw
Excellent question. Thank you for the previous replies, I agree with these.
Masks seem to prevent at least some cross through their fibers, by preventing the passage of droplets containing virus. However I believe that the general population, naturally, will not adjust the mask properly all the time, it is reasonable to believe that substancial amounts of air will pass through the sides and from above the nose.
I think it's probably not affordable or practical to exchange masks every 1 or 2 hours, which implies that the amount of other virus, fungus and bacteria will grow inside the mask, and potentially be harmful.
Clark Vangilder
Pathetic, Ad Hominem, rather than presentation of the Experimental facts.
Sad that you think it's ad hominem. I gave you just one article citing evidence because it is sufficient. There are dozens more, but you seem to have difficulty with just one. At this point you are merely trolling me.
The evidence is overwhelming that masks work and that they do not make you sick by trapping bacteria etc as some are claiming. That is ludicrous. You and others here are cherry-picking the evidence for reasons that are truly imponderable. You're an irresponsible skeptic who'll do anything but consider the mainstream consensus view. Period. That's not ad hominem, it's just true. Your argument is wrong because you lack premises that are true rather than because you are unqualified to process scientific fact.
Moreover, this is a Physics problem in terms of the aerosols. They are trapped by masks and filters because the laws of Physics "demand it". While it is true that the virus is only 125 nanometers diameter, that is a size easy for most mask and all HEPA filters to capture. Furthermore, the virus is never naked in the environment but rather trapped in a droplet much larger than itself or desiccated salts, all of which masks easily trap in varying efficiencies. It's about reducing exposure and everyone wearing masks at distance creates an environment where exposure is reduced by at least 75%, which is all you really need to get the infection numbers down.
Multiple studies have captured the virus in multiple environments verifying that it is airborne. The laws of Physics demanded that in advance given how aerosols are produced. Given that you know nothing of the laws of Physics and persist in accepting fringe data from unreliable sources is troubling to say the least.
Waggle your philosophical finger all you want but it is illegitimate and irrelevant.
Association Between Universal Masking in a Health Care System and SARS-CoV-2 Positivity Among Health Care Workers
Article Association Between Universal Masking in a Health Care Syste...
Social Distancing Alters the Clinical Course of COVID-19 in Young Adults: A Comparative Cohort Study
https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciaa889/5864495
Here's a leading expert speaking to it in USA Today, and includes citations to numerous studies. It's not hard to figure out the truth that masks work.
https://t.co/o5IFPaE5PY?amp=1
Clark Vangilder
Another orthodox believer.
This is the collapse of replication science,
when opinions count more than evidence.
Oooooh. Where are the Demons?
500 years ago we burned some women because they were infected with Demons.
Where did all the Demons go?
They were just as invisible as the CV-19 virus.
We stopped burning witches because no one ever could find a demon but we still behave like idiots when our modern priests (Medical Techs) count the modern Demons and the "case" numbers go through the roof.
Come on, people - use your common sense !!
NO SYMPTOMS = NO DISEASE.
Clark Vangilder
WHO FIRST DISCOVERED COVID-19?
WILL HE GET THE NOBEL PRIZE?
What is the reference to the discoverer's
refereed paper? Plus, what paper first
described the REPLICATION of the first
discovery?
Come on, GUYS - I thought this was science based,
NOT just opinions.
Clark Vangilder İnovenso Teknoloji Ltd.Şti. Zeyad T. Al-Rrassam
Come on, Clark:
When viruses are so small how are mask experiments conducted?
How do we know the density of the source particles (number per cc) ?
What is the air pressure differentials (how measured)?
How do we know the density of the collected particles (number per cc) ?
How do we know the nature of the droplets (type, size, etc) ?
How do measure droplet speeds?
How do we know that the experimental particles are covid viruses?
YOU sound like one of these TV experts passing on opinions, rather than
experimental evidence. It's details that count, NOT votes & not math models.
İnovenso Teknoloji Ltd.Şti.
Come on, Naz:
How were bacterial measurements done with masks?
Send a link to original experimental research and one replication.
Otherwise you are just guessing and spreading rumours; shame on you.
It is a common mistake to refer to those single use face masks as surgical masks. The mask you are likely wearing is a standard mask that is used for filtering large particles like dust. A real surgical mask usually has 95% up to 98% Bacterial filtration efficiency and can help provide better protection, but both mask type’s highlighted purpose is to prevent the wearer from spreading contagious germs and potentially the corona virus. The general idea is that if everyone in the room is wearing a mask, then the chance to spread the virus by potentially infected people in the room minimalizes. So, by wearing this mask, you are protecting others around you.
For protecting yourself, you may opt to wear respirators such as the N95 and N99 masks which are designed to stop small particles. We have developed nanofiber face masks that are N95 and N99 grade which can provide filtration efficiency from 95% to over 99%.
İnovenso Teknoloji Ltd.Şti.
You are illogical and self-contradictory.
Wire mesh fences do NOT stop flies going through; even two fences.
You just wish to conform with the Mass Opinions being generated by
the Panic Spreaders and the armies of orthodox Repeaters (not thinkers).
Herb Spencer ... mask materials ARE NOT "wire mesh fences". Not even close. The Physics of this is undeniable. Please stop spreading false (and illogical) information.
https://phys.org/news/2020-12-mask-masks-affect-airflow-effectiveness.html
Clark Vangilder
Clark:
It's just relative sizes: fly size versus mesh gaps. Fancy photos do not alter the relative sizes - hence the analogy.
What does your photo try to illustrate? What do red blood cells have to do with masks? What is the PM10? Are you a simple propagandist or what?
Regular commercial facemasks (as worn by the public) do not filter out particles of size 0.007 micrometers, so why include this in such a discussion on Public Masking?
Look Herb Spencer , you are dead wrong about the size of virus versus mask openings. While the virus is small, the smallest holes are smaller than its transport particle because the virus is never naked in the air, but bound up in an aerosol or droplet that is much much larger than holes in the mask. IF masks worked like sieves then you wouldn't be able to block particles AND breathe. This is basic Physics and you are spreading factually untrue information even after given the truth.
What is the picture for? Relative sizes, you dope.
Propagandist? No, that's what you do. You are the king of misinformation.
Moreover, the physics of how and why masks trap particles much smaller than the smallest holes appears to be beyond you. Here's some video explaining how.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpbJFk311Lw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Tp0zB904Mc&t=18s
Clark Vangilder
OK, Clark.
How large is the droplet around the virion? Should the droplet get caught by the "thread" in the mask, how long before the water evaporates and the virion floats away? Where is the scientific study published about this phenomenon?
Viruses must be pouring down on us as it rains, according to this theory, eh?
Video is propaganda, not science. Movies & TV use these CGI tricks all the time.
I do not get my science from YouTube, as you seem happy with.
It's replicatable research that identifies the FACTS of science: NOT theories.
OK. Herb Spencer ... it appears that you have no idea what Science actually is, much less a theory. Theories are explanatory frameworks for the predictive patterns IN data. The laws of Physics overshadow all theories, which is why a first-semester Physics students would know why masks work. Pretend all you want that there is no data on the efficacy of masks. It is a matter of fluid physics and it has been verified in multiple RCT's. Here are just a few of the hundreds done in just the last few years.
The Science on YouTube that you reject so easily is from actual scientists doing their best to communicate science to the public so that people like you are thwarted. People like you who haven't the foggiest notion of Science or Reality.
OK Herb Spencer
//Should the droplet get caught by the "thread" in the mask, how long before the water evaporates and the virion floats away?//
They do not because they are trapped by the fibers. Learn some Chemistry.
//Where is the scientific study published about this phenomenon?//
I just gave you a few, but anyone claiming to understand Science should be able to find them as easily as I have. But that is the problem ... you are unacquainted with Science.
//Viruses must be pouring down on us as it rains, according to this theory, eh?//
No. That is stupid. Again, you think theories are just any old idea, which means you have no idea how it works in Science.
//Video is propaganda, not science. Movies & TV use these CGI tricks all the time.//
I suspect that you have many conspiracy theory ideations. Get counseling.
//I do not get my science from YouTube, as you seem happy with.//
Nice try. Both of those videos are produced by active researchers. One of them literally shows experimental results.
//It's replicatable research that identifies the FACTS of science: NOT theories.//
Yup ... and I've given you research findings. Once again, theories explain scientific facts because of predictive patterns in the data that correspond to physical laws. That is why we can predict with near-perfect certitude precisely what an aerosol or droplet will do when ejected from your respiratory tract as it encounters matter (masks) or as it transits through the air with changes in temperature and humidity. I teach these basic facts to first-semester Physics students and it is also found in active research in Fluid Dynamics and Atmospheric Chemistry.
Everybody who has the duty to stay healthy due to his job has to protect his body against senseless mask-wearing:
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/8/4344
If masks provide the wearer with viral protection, then why the social pressure on
those who choose to NOT wear masks?
mRNA can create ANY protein in the body by the liposomes.
What these novel proteins then do is anyone's guess; I suspect
they are a biowepon designed to KILL most humans.
Wearing a mask is much better than not wearing. In cases of human proximity,the mask inhibits the penetration of droplets carrying the viruses.WHO and CDC know very will that musk doesn't prevent transmission of virus, but they recommended it, and they are totally correct.mRNA is not proved to make new variants of viruses, it does make antibodies. Regards.
To wear a surgical mask is a precautionary and essential step to save from corona virus.
s.K Srivastava
What is your evidence for such an empty statement?
Rumors? Crowd-Thinking?
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