Face Masks and other strategies to help slow Covid-19 spread

[missy]

I want to get the info on face masks. I am guessing this might be of interest to some/many of us.

Here is the info I found from the WHO.

When and how to use masks

WHO's guidance and advice on the use of masks to protect against and limit the spread of COVID-19.

www.who.int

I was chatting with a good friend yesterday and she told me that when she and her family members go to the supermarket or will be around a lot of people they wear face masks.

From what I understand they protect others around you and are not so protective for the wearer. But medical personnel wear them to protect others and themselves right? How protective are they? I know it depends on the specific kind of mask of course but I know nothing about masks at all.

When I was working I never wore one though many of my colleagues did as we were working with patients who were often ill.

What is your take on Covid-19 and face masks? I know the virus is pretty small and I know it can enter at the eyes too so a "regular" face mask doesn't cover that I guess anything that helps limit exposure can be helpful.

Thoughts?

Also, hospitals need PPE and to that end they are asking for those who can sew to make masks. How can one make a safe face mask for those people in the medical field who are working directly with Covid-19 patients?

Thanks.

 

[missy]

And how China stopped the spread of Covid-19.

The coronavirus pandemic began in China. Today, it reported no new local infections for the first time | CNN

China has reported no new locally transmitted coronavirus cases for the first time since the pandemic began, marking a major turning point in the global battle to contain Covid-19.

www.cnn.com

 

[missy]

How Hong Kong and Singapore stopped it in its tracks.

Singapore Wins Praise For Its COVID-19 Strategy. The U.S. Does Not

Around the world, different countries have responded differently to the coronavirus crisis — with dramatically different results.

www.npr.org

"
Hong Kong and Singapore were hit early with the coronavirus. But each now has fewer than 200 cases, while France, Germany and Spain, which were hit late, all have more than 10 times that number.

Three weeks ago, Italy had only three cases. Now it has more than 10,000.

These dramatic differences show that how governments respond to this virus matters, says Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization's head of emergencies.

"Hope is not a strategy," says Ryan, who is an epidemiologist. "We are still very much in the up cycle of this epidemic."


The veteran of numerous global health crises, from SARS to bird flu to Ebola, Ryan points out that incredibly aggressive measures by China, South Korea and Japan appear to be bringing outbreaks in those countries under control.

"There's clearly an indication that a systematic government-led approach using all tactics and all elements available seems to be able to turn this disease around," he says.

He has been pleading with governments around the world to prepare for the new coronavirus before it shows up at their door — or to spring into action when it does arrive.

That's what Hong Kong and Singapore did.

Both quickly set up systems to try to identify and treat every case in their territory. Hong Kong developed diagnostic tests and rapidly deployed them to labs at every major hospital in the city. At one point in February, Hong Kong had 12,000 people in quarantine. Singapore's prime minister called for calm and assured residents that all health care related to the disease would be free.

Both Hong Kong and Singapore continue to find a few new cases each week, but they've avoided the explosive outbreaks that have occurred elsewhere.

Ashish Jha, who runs the Harvard Global Health Institute, says the response to the coronavirus has varied dramatically around the world. "Some countries have been very aggressive and have actually done quite a good job," he says. "Other countries have been quite lackadaisical and, I think, have suffered immensely from it. And I think there are lessons to be learned for all of us."

Italy and Iran both fall in the latter category. Jha says that before cases of COVID-19 were first diagnosed, Italy and Iran appeared to be in denial about the disease.

"I mean, you had the Iran deputy health minister coughing on national television talking about coronavirus," Jha says. "But really not taking it seriously."

That deputy health minister later tested positive for the virus.

As people started to get sick, neither Italy nor Iran did much testing. They were slow to stop mass gatherings. Eventually both countries were overwhelmed with cases.

So how has the United States' response been?

"Our response is much, much worse than almost any other country that's been affected," Jha says.

He uses the words "stunning," "fiasco" and "mind-blowing" to describe how bad it is.

"And I don't understand it," he says incredulously. "I still don't understand why we don't have extensive testing. Vietnam! Vietnam has tested more people than America has." (He's citing data from earlier this week. The U.S. has since started testing more widely, although exact figures still aren't available at a national level.)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started screening overseas travelers for coronavirus in mid-January. But the initial test kits developed by the CDC were flawed, and it took weeks to sort out the problems. It's only this week that wide-scale testing has started to become available in the United States.

Jha believes that the weekslong delay in deploying tests — at a time when numerous other tests were available around the world — has completely hampered the U.S. response to this crisis.

"Without testing, you have no idea how extensive the infection is. You can't isolate people. You can't do anything," he says. "And so then we're left with a completely different set of choices. We have to shut schools, events and everything down, because that's the only tool available to us until we get testing back up. It's been stunning to me how bad the federal response has been."

He says right now there are probably five to 10 times as many cases out in the community as have actually been detected. Until these individuals are found, they are likely to infect more people, he says, and the outbreak in the United States is just going to continue to grow.

Hong Kong, which began testing in January and has been right up against the epicenter of the global outbreak, had only confirmed 126 cases through March 10. On that same day the U.S. reported twice that number for the previous 24 hours.

"

 

[missy]

Why COVID-19 case counts are so low in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan

As the new coronavirus spreads through the United States and other Western countries, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan have been able to slow the virus thanks to their fast action, use of data, and widespread testing, Hannah Beech reports for the New York Times.

www.advisory.com

"
Reports of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, first surfaced in early December 2019 in Wuhan, China. While the number of new cases of COVID-19 reported in China has been dropping, newly reported cases of the disease have spiked in other countries, with COVID-19 reaching global pandemic status.

• 
  Coronavirus scenario planning: 12 situations hospital leaders should prepare for

As of Thursday, there have been 227,743 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide and 9,318 deaths.
How Singapore responded to the virus
At the beginning of the outbreak in China, Singapore was at high risk for having an influx of travelers from mainland China because of the Lunar New Year. But Singapore's response appears to have largely stemmed off the viruses spread—at least on the scale seen in other countries. As of Thursday, Singapore had just 313 cases and hasn't had a single death, according to Beech.
A major reason why the country has been able to handle the virus has been early intervention and transparency on the part of the Singapore government, Beech reports.
Once rumors started of an unknown respiratory virus circulating through China, Singapore acted immediately, becoming one of the first countries to ban any travelers from mainland China in late January, even though the World Health Organization advised against doing so.
Soon after, Singapore developed the ability to test over 2,000 people a day for the new coronavirus.
The country has also implemented mandatory quarantines to stop further spread of the virus. Those who break mandatory quarantine could see criminal charges, Beech reports.
A number of COVID-19 cases that occurred early in Singapore were mild cases and otherwise would not have been diagnosed, but regardless, officials in Singapore searched to find them to stop the possibility that the disease could spread unchecked.
Vernon Lee, director of the communicable diseases division at Singapore's Ministry of Health, said, "We want to stay one or two steps ahead of the virus. If you chase the virus, you will always be behind the curve."
How Hong Kong responded to the virus
Meanwhile, the population of Hong Kong seemed immediately ready to implement disease prevention measures, having learned its lessons from the large death toll it suffered after the 2003 SARS outbreak in which almost 300 people died, Beech reports. Soon after people caught news of the new coronavirus, they were using hand sanitizer and malls and offices had set up thermal scanners, Beech reports.
As of Thursday, Hong Kong had 208 confirmed cases and four deaths.
Kwok Ka-ki, a lawmaker and doctor in Hong Kong, said, "The most important thing is that Hong Kong people have deep memories of the SARS outbreak. Every citizen did their part, including wearing masks and washing their hands and taking necessary precautions, such as avoiding crowded places and gatherings."
Eventually the government of Hong Kong implemented tighter border controls and ordered civil servants to telework, which led other companies to do the same, Beech reports. Hong Kong also closed schools in January through at least the end of April.
How Taiwan responded to the virus
Taiwan also acted quickly, utilizing its national health command center that was set up after the SARS outbreak to begin screening passengers flying in from Wuhan, before the Chinese government had admitted the virus spread between humans. As of Thursday, Taiwan had 108 confirmed cases and one death.
Joseph Wu, Taiwan's foreign minister said, "Having learned our lesson before from SARS, as soon as the outbreak began, we adopted a whole-of-government approach."
By January's end, the country suspended all flights from China and began integrating its health insurance database with information from immigration and customs to begin tracking potential cases of COVID-19, according to Jason Wang, director of the Center for Policy, Outcomes, and Prevention at Stanford University.
Why it might be too late for the West to implement these lessons
It may be difficult for the United States and Europe to implement these exact lessons learned from Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, Beech reports.
The monitoring systems developed by these countries had been in place for years, ever since the SARS outbreak.
There's also the question of scale—how to implement a model used by smaller Asian centers into larger Western countries. Citizen of Western countries may also balk at the idea of the government using closed-circuit television cameras or immigration records to monitor coronavirus cases, Beech reports.
Lalitha Kurupatham, deputy director of the communicable diseases division in Singapore, said, "Maybe it's because of our Asian context, but our community is sort of primed for this. We will keep fighting, because isolation and quarantine work" (Beech, New York Times, 3/17; Johns Hopkins tracker, accessed 3/19).
"

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

How Hong Kong and Singapore stopped it in its tracks.

Singapore Wins Praise For Its COVID-19 Strategy. The U.S. Does Not

Around the world, different countries have responded differently to the coronavirus crisis — with dramatically different results.

www.npr.org

"
Hong Kong and Singapore were hit early with the coronavirus. But each now has fewer than 200 cases, while France, Germany and Spain, which were hit late, all have more than 10 times that number.

Three weeks ago, Italy had only three cases. Now it has more than 10,000.

These dramatic differences show that how governments respond to this virus matters, says Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization's head of emergencies.

"Hope is not a strategy," says Ryan, who is an epidemiologist. "We are still very much in the up cycle of this epidemic."


The veteran of numerous global health crises, from SARS to bird flu to Ebola, Ryan points out that incredibly aggressive measures by China, South Korea and Japan appear to be bringing outbreaks in those countries under control.

"There's clearly an indication that a systematic government-led approach using all tactics and all elements available seems to be able to turn this disease around," he says.

He has been pleading with governments around the world to prepare for the new coronavirus before it shows up at their door — or to spring into action when it does arrive.

That's what Hong Kong and Singapore did.

Both quickly set up systems to try to identify and treat every case in their territory. Hong Kong developed diagnostic tests and rapidly deployed them to labs at every major hospital in the city. At one point in February, Hong Kong had 12,000 people in quarantine. Singapore's prime minister called for calm and assured residents that all health care related to the disease would be free.

Both Hong Kong and Singapore continue to find a few new cases each week, but they've avoided the explosive outbreaks that have occurred elsewhere.

Ashish Jha, who runs the Harvard Global Health Institute, says the response to the coronavirus has varied dramatically around the world. "Some countries have been very aggressive and have actually done quite a good job," he says. "Other countries have been quite lackadaisical and, I think, have suffered immensely from it. And I think there are lessons to be learned for all of us."

Italy and Iran both fall in the latter category. Jha says that before cases of COVID-19 were first diagnosed, Italy and Iran appeared to be in denial about the disease.

"I mean, you had the Iran deputy health minister coughing on national television talking about coronavirus," Jha says. "But really not taking it seriously."

That deputy health minister later tested positive for the virus.

As people started to get sick, neither Italy nor Iran did much testing. They were slow to stop mass gatherings. Eventually both countries were overwhelmed with cases.

So how has the United States' response been?

"Our response is much, much worse than almost any other country that's been affected," Jha says.

He uses the words "stunning," "fiasco" and "mind-blowing" to describe how bad it is.

"And I don't understand it," he says incredulously. "I still don't understand why we don't have extensive testing. Vietnam! Vietnam has tested more people than America has." (He's citing data from earlier this week. The U.S. has since started testing more widely, although exact figures still aren't available at a national level.)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started screening overseas travelers for coronavirus in mid-January. But the initial test kits developed by the CDC were flawed, and it took weeks to sort out the problems. It's only this week that wide-scale testing has started to become available in the United States.

Jha believes that the weekslong delay in deploying tests — at a time when numerous other tests were available around the world — has completely hampered the U.S. response to this crisis.

"Without testing, you have no idea how extensive the infection is. You can't isolate people. You can't do anything," he says. "And so then we're left with a completely different set of choices. We have to shut schools, events and everything down, because that's the only tool available to us until we get testing back up. It's been stunning to me how bad the federal response has been."

He says right now there are probably five to 10 times as many cases out in the community as have actually been detected. Until these individuals are found, they are likely to infect more people, he says, and the outbreak in the United States is just going to continue to grow.

Hong Kong, which began testing in January and has been right up against the epicenter of the global outbreak, had only confirmed 126 cases through March 10. On that same day the U.S. reported twice that number for the previous 24 hours.

"

i want to be Singapore, Tiwain or Hong Kong please

 

[lyra]

I want a regular mask for my own peace of mind. Even the homemade kind. I have to go to my 6 week infusions at a medical facility. Unfortunately, that means having to walk through a waiting room potentially full of sick people, and then down 2 corridors to the infusion clinic. Why they situated the clinic with no outside exit is beyond me, but that's the way it is. So I'd take a maybe possibly 50% effective homemade mask gratefully. Not an N95 mask that healthcare professionals need and can't get. I'd never take one of those.

 

[arkieb1]

@missy - all of the countries winning the battle against Corona did a few things, first, some of them are trying and winning at flattening the curve of infection ie spreading it out over a longer slower rate, they went out of their way to detect every single infected person and trace where they got the disease from and who they may have spread it to, and when that stopped working they implemented severe restrictions on personal liberties ie they made everyone self quarantine, for long periods of time.

Wuhan got it under control by forcing every citizen to stay indoors for 60 days.

You have a government that was in denial, bought too few testing kits and is now scrabbling to try and get more, and your government didn't understand the concept of flattening or slowing the curve of infection, or advisors did but the people in charge simply didn't listen.

The good things you have in your favour is that you have a better health care system than Italy does, you have more medical resources than Italy does. You will however, have more case of this disease than Italy and China, due to the poor initial response time, and people (particularly the young) in the US still not taking it seriously enough.

Lets hope that you continue to have a slower death rates than Italy and China. I was abused on here by another member and told I was a negative person etc because I had been watching global statistics and thinking about how various countries were responding to Corona a month or more ago, and basically predicted that this was going to happen (before the s@#* hit the fan) because all of us around the world were not taking the threat of COVID - 19 seriously enough. Lets hope that every government and our citizens, both young and old ALL start realising how serious it actually is.

 

[Maria D]

I want a regular mask for my own peace of mind. Even the homemade kind. I have to go to my 6 week infusions at a medical facility. Unfortunately, that means having to walk through a waiting room potentially full of sick people, and then down 2 corridors to the infusion clinic. Why they situated the clinic with no outside exit is beyond me, but that's the way it is. So I'd take a maybe possibly 50% effective homemade mask gratefully. Not an N95 mask that healthcare professionals need and can't get. I'd never take one of those.

I am going to be making a bunch, for family & friends and to hand out to cashiers at the supermarket. Our local hospital hasn't put out a request, but if they do I'll bring some there as well. This website How to make a Face Mask has printed instructions and a video. Do you sew Lyra?

 

[missy]

@missy - all of the countries winning the battle against Corona did a few things, first, some of them are trying and winning at flattening the curve of infection ie spreading it out over a longer slower rate, they went out of their way to detect every single infected person and trace where they got the disease from and who they may have spread it to, and when that stopped working they implemented severe restrictions on personal liberties ie they made everyone self quarantine, for long periods of time.

Wuhan got it under control by forcing every citizen to stay indoors for 60 days.

You have a government that was in denial, bought too few testing kits and is now scrabbling to try and get more, and your government didn't understand the concept of flattening or slowing the curve of infection, or advisors did but the people in charge simply didn't listen.

The good things you have in your favour is that you have a better health care system than Italy does, you have more medical resources than Italy does. You will however, have more case of this disease than Italy and China, due to the poor initial response time, and people (particularly the young) in the US still not taking it seriously enough.

Lets hope that you continue to have a slower death rates than Italy and China. I was abused on here by another member and told I was a negative person etc because I had been watching global statistics and thinking about how various countries were responding to Corona a month or more ago, and basically predicted that this was going to happen because all of us around the world were not taking the threat of COVID - 19 seriously enough. Lets hope that every government and our citizens all start realising how serious it actually is.

Thanks @arkieb1. I’m sorry someone was rude to you for just sharing your thoughts and I know no matter what your intentions are good.

I think people are scared and lash out because their anxiety is ramped up. We all respond differently to stress. But we should be mindful to be respectful during this especially challenging time. We’re all on edge.

Thank you for always being helpful and kind and generous with your time here.

The USA didn’t handle it like they should have and I’m hoping and praying if we’re smarter now we can get this to slow down and praying for as little loss of life as possible. All over the world. Praying for everyone and their well being. We’re all in this together and we can learn so much from the countries who have done a great job managing and getting Covid 19 under control.

 

[missy]

I am going to be making a bunch, for family & friends and to hand out to cashiers at the supermarket. Our local hospital hasn't put out a request, but if they do I'll bring some there as well. This website How to make a Face Mask has printed instructions and a video. Do you sew Lyra?

Thanks for this link @Maria D

 

[MakingTheGrade]

So if literally everyone wore a mask when going out it actually would decrease transmission mostly because it would prevent people with a cough (or spitting while talking tendencies) from transmitting it when they didn’t know they had covid.

However I’m guessing since hospitals have a shortage, making sure everyone can wear one was a rather impossible goal I guess.

Also the sewn ones are a lovely thought but can’t be used for providers caring with patients with known or presumed covid. That being said it’s better than nothing so I think some hospitals are using them with staff that have indirect exposure risks because it’s better than nothing.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

I'd like to add to the posting "how Hongkong stopped the spread" that people basically self isolated very early.

Kids have been out of school /teachers not working since January. But everyone else respects the curfew and all other restrictions.

And this didn't mean : no school, let's do spring break. It meant : only go out for groceries.

Masks are an add on to provide an additional layer of protection when you absolutely must go out.

I think they're not promoted more, because
A.) stock is low and they need supplies for healthcare workers and

B.) People will have a feeling of false security and not respect the other, more important rules, thinking they're protected by the mask.

C.) People use the masks incorrecty and increase contamination (witnessed this myself: people constantly tugging on the mask/touching it, touching the skin underneath the mask, wearing a single use mask that has clearly used multiple times, EATING WITH A MASK AND GLOVES ON.

 

[missy]

My face mask in progress.

 

[pearlsngems]

A number of Etsy sellers are selling cotton face masks, both the pleated kind and the domed-shape kind, if anyone is disinclined to DIY. I am awaiting the arrival of a few I bought for my DD who will be manning a take-out window at her coffee shop, since the lobby was closed. It's still a lot of customer contact and some protection is better than none, IMO.

For those who prefer to DIY, here is a free pattern for the domed-shape kind of mask: https://www.craftpassion.com/face-mask-sewing-pattern/

2 articles I found interesting:

1. "What Are The Best Materials for Making DIY Masks?" (re: study by researchers at Cambridge U.)

Best Materials for Making DIY Face Masks - Smart Air

As a last resort, DIY masks provide more protection than nothing. Researchers tested household materials. These two materials captured the most particles.

smartairfilters.com

"Making DIY Masks with Household Materials
Bottom line: Test data shows that the best choices for DIY masks are cotton t-shirts, pillowcases, or other cotton materials.

"These materials filter out approximately 50% of 0.2 micron particles, similar in size to the coronavirus. They are also as easy to breathe through as surgical masks, which makes them more comfortable enough to wear for several hours.

"Doubling the layers of material for your DIY mask gives a very small increase in filtration effectiveness, but makes the mask much more difficult to breathe through.


2. "Can DIY Masks Protect Us from Coronavirus?"

Do DIY Cloth Masks Protect Us From COVID-19? – Smart Air

Researchers built DIY masks from household materials and tested their effectiveness vs. sub-micron particles. Results found they blocked 60% of particles.

smartairfilters.com

 

[AGBF]

I didn't know into which thread to put this, but decided to put it in this one. It is a plea for ventilators and for people to mobilize to get ventilators produced and distributed with the help of the federal government and also to get people trained to operate them.

This sounds like a priority to me.

Opinion | How America Can Avoid Italy’s Ventilator Crisis (Published 2020)

I’m one of the doctors on the front lines of the war against this virus. You can help me fight.

www.nytimes.com

 

[missy]

So we went out for a stroll and I still stayed away from people as far as I could (6 feet plus) but I wore the mask Greg just made me today...It has to be made to fit my face better but I felt safer with it on...not sure how much of that is psychological and how much of that is based in any reality but it didn't hurt.

Will do more reading as to what is the best face mask we can make and perhaps we can make one that is protective against Covid-19. It would be a relief to be able to go out safely when necessary. Though for me anything warmer than 50 degrees might be too warm to wear anything on my face.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

Love the colour!!

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

Greg's the best!

 

[missy]

Greg's the best!

Thanks @kipari
He doesn't suck lol.

Sending you so many hugs and good vibes and well wishes. To you and all your family. Stay well. (((HUGS))).

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

Thanks @kipari
He doesn't suck lol.

Sending you so many hugs and good vibes and well wishes. To you and all your family. Stay well. (((HUGS))).

Thanks Missy h
❤

Right back atcha!!

 

[Matata]

Hong Kong

It appears that Hong Kong is having a resurgence. 44 new cases including a 20-month old child.

 

[arkieb1]

The problem with most countries is people not observing strict enough quarantine periods. For example an Asian student came to Australia, tested positive to the disease so the Government asked his flatmate to self quarantine at home for 14 days...

Two weeks later when the flat mate suddenly went to hospital with symptoms, as did some of his friends the Government found out instead of staying at home that guy (also a student) went out to dinner, out with friends, out to part time work, out to a heap of places, when he was supposed to stay at home.

In Australia and in the US and many many other places people aren't used to having their civil liberties taken away (unlike Wuhan) at this point in time they are asking people for their co-operation and to be blunt lots of people especially younger people don't....

The countries that are containing the virus the best either force or have everyone co-operating to stay indoors. Being unable to force people who don't want to from Western countries not used to staying indoors or refusing being told what to do is part of the problem.

 

[facetgirl]

Seeing an update in our paper that my town is reporting cases. This is so unnerving, even if expected. I read an article today that there is a 12 year old in Atlanta battling for her life. I know in my head that this is an example of the absolute worst cases and that most will be fine, but my heart just aches and I am scared. I don't like being scared. Like Missy, I believe we are all going to get some form of this and I hope and pray we can stave this off long enough through physical distancing that our heroes - doctors and nurses - can help the people who need it the most, while our other heroes, researchers and scientists, can identify a treatment or vaccine to make the virus a condition that is manageable.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

The problem with most countries is people not observing strict enough quarantine periods. For example an Asian student came to Australia, tested positive to the disease so the Government asked his flatmate to self quarantine at home for 14 days...

Two weeks later when the flat mate suddenly went to hospital with symptoms, as did some of his friends the Government found out instead of staying at home that guy (also a student) went out to dinner, out with friends, out to part time work, out to a heap of places, when he was supposed to stay at home.

In Australia and in the US and many many other places people aren't used to having their civil liberties taken away (unlike Wuhan) at this point in time they are asking people for their co-operation and to be blunt lots of people especially younger people don't....

The countries that are containing the virus the best either force or have everyone co-operating to stay indoors. Being unable to force people who don't want to from Western countries not used to staying indoors or refusing being told what to do is part of the problem.

This, @arkieb1 !!

I personally know of five people who did not self quarantine after traveling. Mind you, they were absolutely panicky and in hysteria when the whole Austria petri dish thing happened. Packed up their skiing gear n Austria and left for home. Where they freely mingled and contaminated others

This should be fined, IMHO

 

[bling_dream19]

So we went out for a stroll and I still stayed away from people as far as I could (6 feet plus) but I wore the mask Greg just made me today...It has to be made to fit my face better but I felt safer with it on...not sure how much of that is psychological and how much of that is based in any reality but it didn't hurt.

Will do more reading as to what is the best face mask we can make and perhaps we can make one that is protective against Covid-19. It would be a relief to be able to go out safely when necessary. Though for me anything warmer than 50 degrees might be too warm to wear anything on my face.

Missy I LOVE your pink mask!!! Greg is a genius and could make a killing selling these! I'll take one on pink lol. You look adorable and glad you feel better too!

 

[Arcadian]

There are several types of masks. I'm currently making 2 of them. Material types matter as its best to use cotton or jersy (t-shirt type material) for breathability. I've stopped for the day but will post some links for you guys.

 

[Arcadian]

This has been adapted some, the one I'm making has a pocket so Dr's and Nurses can insert their own filter material. This one is made to extend the life of N95 masks.

A.B. Mask - for a Nurse by a Nurse

A.B. Mask - for a Nurse by a Nurse: ***This was designed for love, not profit. Respect health care workers. Please respect my intellectual property. Please don't try to make money off of this - don't be that guy.
 A.B. Mask fabric mask and N95 cover sewing pattern designed by a nurs…

www.instructables.com

For the more experienced, a very good mask that easy to make

even if you don't really have any material you can use reusable shopping bags

MakerMask: Science-Based Mask Designs for Community Makers

Science-based mask information and designs. MakerMask designs use spunbond nonwoven polypropylene (NWPP) and are breathable and washable.

www.project-cloth-masks.com

Some hospitals have their own programs and tutorials to create masks

Deaconess - How to make a Face Mask

We are welcoming fabric masks from our community as we prepare for COVID-19. Thank you so much for your interest and care.

www.deaconess.com

An exceptionally good tutorial

DIY How to Sew a Surgical Face Mask for Hospitals in Need

Learn How to Sew a Surgical Face Mask With This Step-By-Step Tutorial With Video featured by top US sewing blog, Sweet Red Poppy. Click here now!!

sweetredpoppy.com

Joann's Fabric also has a tutorial

If you sew and have the material and time to do it, there's the facebook group

Million Mask Challenge - Creating Masks for Healthcare Workers & Caregivers

#millionmaskchallenge! This group is intended to be a resource and support of those able and willing to sew, create, provide information on donating face masks to hospitals, nursing homes, and other...

www.facebook.com

.

 

[MrsBlue]

There are several types of masks. I'm currently making 2 of them. Material types matter as its best to use cotton or jersy (t-shirt type material) for breathability. I've stopped for the day but will post some links for you guys.

This is awesome. When I'm done with quarantine, I'll break into my fabric stash and get to sewing.

 

[missy]

Y’all know this but here it is again for reinforcement. My friend just sent this:

“ FYI!!
I just spoke with a friend who got called into an emergency meeting at Memorial hospital. He said the virus is spreading quickly from gas pumps. He said to wear gloves or have a paper towel touch the pump and throw the napkin or gloves out before you get back in the car. Please tell everyone you know.“

 

[missy]

This, @arkieb1 !!

I personally know of five people who did not self quarantine after traveling. Mind you, they were absolutely panicky and in hysteria when the whole Austria petri dish thing happened. Packed up their skiing gear n Austria and left for home. Where they freely mingled and contaminated others

This should be fined, IMHO

I agree. They should be fined. A lot. Reprehensible behavior with no regard for the welfare of others.