'Better than nothing': Thailand encourages cloth masks amid surgical mask shortage

[metisdead]

Posts containing content that was copy and pasted from some sites have been removed:

 

14) You will not post any copyrighted material except as fair use laws apply (as in the case of news articles). Please only post a link, the headline and the first three sentences.

[chainarong]

A Complete waste of time, not even near the required microns in the filtering to stop the virus , it wouldn't even stop dust.

[puipuitom]

Everyone with even the BEGINNING of any knowledge about microbiology ( and virusses) can tell you, the ONLY effect of these masks is to have a bacteria growth just a cm in front of your mouth and nose. Against virusses… it will not help. And when the proper medical anti-virus masks are used, you have to renew them every 15-30 minutes. if not,... again.. a breeding place.

For a normal flue, for which the by-far majority of all humans have a natural resistance, it helps, when YOU are infected NOT to spread the flue-virus by sneezing etc, but against a new virus like corona... it helps just as much as using ship propellers in the Chao Praya to get the flood away ( 2012) 

[overherebc]

Funny no-one evet mentions UV to kill bacteria and viruses on surfaces. Is this new virus UV proof?

Could the very high UV levels here be killing it on outdoor surfaces etc?

I don't know, just askin.

[Tayaout]

16 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Funny no-one evet mentions UV to kill bacteria and viruses on surfaces. Is this new virus UV proof?

Could the very high UV levels here be killing it on outdoor surfaces etc?

I don't know, just askin.

There is multiple research on the subject. Here is one: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31930543-inactivation-of-three-emerging-viruses-severe-acute-respiratory-syndrome-coronavirus-crimean-congo-haemorrhagic-fever-virus-and-nipah-virus-in-platelet-concentrates-by-ultraviolet-c-light-and-in-plasma-by-methylene-blue-plus-visible-light/

[overherebc]

36 minutes ago, Tayaout said:

There is multiple research on the subject. Here is one: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31930543-inactivation-of-three-emerging-viruses-severe-acute-respiratory-syndrome-coronavirus-crimean-congo-haemorrhagic-fever-virus-and-nipah-virus-in-platelet-concentrates-by-ultraviolet-c-light-and-in-plasma-by-methylene-blue-plus-visible-light/

If they mean platelet as in red blood cells it sprung another disjointed thought in my head.

The big surge in deaths in Italy kicked off in Lombardia that has a high % of elderly people and a high % of people who suffer from Thalassemia ( sickle cell disease ) mis-shaped red blood cells.

Possible connection? Just askin'.

Edited March 13, 2020 by overherebc

[RocketDog]

On 3/12/2020 at 5:25 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

This one looked at the ability of the mask to block the coughed out secretions from the wearer, not to protect the wearer from airborne virus materials....  Even so, not exactly a ringing result:

 

 

Whatever happened to the government's announced plans in the past week or so to deliver to drug stores nationwide tens of thousands of surgical masks for the public to use.  I've yet to see or hear of ANY availability from that supposed effort.  More happy talk, more than likely.

 

So it makes sense that if the mask is even remotely effective at reducing droplets that are forceably ejected by coughing it that they are are even more effective at reducing droplets that are less forcefully inhaled through a mask. No? 

 

It is simply intuitive, at least to me, that a mask made of anything other than air (i.e. no mask) must be more effective at filtering than not using a mask at all.

 

Why is this so hard for folks to grasp? Hells bells, a paper towel just has to be superior to using nothing. 

[RocketDog]

8 hours ago, puipuitom said:

Everyone with even the BEGINNING of any knowledge about microbiology ( and virusses) can tell you, the ONLY effect of these masks is to have a bacteria growth just a cm in front of your mouth and nose. Against virusses… it will not help. And when the proper medical anti-virus masks are used, you have to renew them every 15-30 minutes. if not,... again.. a breeding place.

For a normal flue, for which the by-far majority of all humans have a natural resistance, it helps, when YOU are infected NOT to spread the flue-virus by sneezing etc, but against a new virus like corona... it helps just as much as using ship propellers in the Chao Praya to get the flood away ( 2012) 

You are conflating viruses and bacteria. 

 

As anyone with your apparent knowledge surely knows, bacteria are self-replicating cellular organisms while viruses require a host to replicate.  Viruses only contain packets of DNA, and CANNOT replicate without a host cell. Period. 

 

This is one of those 'basic' facts of microbiology you mention. 

 

So while a mask may in fact provide a breeding ground for bacteria, common antibiotics and natural immune system response fights such an infection, even if such bacteria could reproduce so rapidly as to be dangerous. 

 

Viruses simply cannot reproduce as quickly as bacteria in sufficient numbers to be dangerous. 

 

I can assure you that medical professionals, even in a surgical suite during an invasive surgical procedure, do not routinely replace their masks every 15-30 minutes. 

 

Your reasoning is erroneous and simply promotes hysteria. 

 

Please stick to the facts of 'basic microbiology'. 

[Iron Tongue]

Cloth masks are terrible for prevention from infection by airborne contaminants, especially in Thailand.  They are not "better than nothing" in preventing exposure.

 

Thailand is humid.  Cloth materials get wet in humidity.  Breathing through cloth masks will only increase the moisture level and any droplets of moisture containing covid-19 making contact with cloth surface will be absorbed and drawn through the wet material during normal breathing.  Touching and handling of wet cloth masks will increase chances of infection.

 

Better to buy boxes of nitrile gloves from lazada and wear them outside, change as necessary.