COVID-19 Special Series: Masks - Who should wear what and why?

Welcome to AiArthritis Voices 360. This week join your patient co-hosts Danielle Dass and Kristen Ray as they discuss all things masks and COVID-19. What sorts of masks do healthcare providers need to keep themselves and their patients safe? What happens if hospitals run out of masks? Should people be wearing a mask when they leave their home during social distancing? Do cloth masks offer protection from the virus? Tune in for the answers to these questions and more as we seek to help you navigate this pandemic with our ongoing COVID-19 series. 

 

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AiArthritis Voices 360 is produced by the International Foundation for Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Arthritis. Visit us on the web at www.aiarthritis.org/talkshow. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook (@ifAiArthritis) or email us (podcast@aiarthritis.org).

Show Notes: Episode 21 – “Prevention Focus: Masks”

 

00:52 - Danielle welcomes listeners and patient co-host Kristen to the show

01:38 - Kristen introduces herself

02:12 - Kristen is a patient living with ankylosing spondylitis 

03:58 - Kristen is an ophthalmology nurse 

04:11 - COVID-19 can be spread by touching your eyes, nose, or mouth

04:38 - Today’s topic will deal with masks and whether wearing a mask can help protect you from contracting COVID-19

04:57 - Neither AiArthritis nor the Spondylitis Association of America will be issuing an official recommendation on whether or not patients should wear masks. The episode will provide reliable information that listeners can use to make their own decision regarding their own personal safety

06:27 - PPE refers to protective clothing like helmets, goggles, gloves, masks, etc that are designed to protect healthcare providers from infection or injury

08:09 - Everything has changed in terms of how HCPs see patients and use PPE

09:06 - Kristen’s office is only seeing emergency patients

09:10 - The amount of PPE gear needed to see patients has dramatically increased even though the patient load has been restricted to just emergencies 

11:59 - Healthcare provider needs for PPE have increased, resulting in a global shortage of available gear

12:49 - Smaller hospitals in the US may not have the money to purchase more PPE because most of their income is derived from elective surgeries which have all been suspended

14:40 - Surgical masks are designed to create a physical barrier between the wearer and patients

15:13 - The N95 respirator mask creates a seal and then filters airborne particles so that the wearer is not breathing in any viral particles

16:25 - Neither surgical masks nor N95 respirator masks are intended to be reused

17:13 - People wearing N95 masks who have not been trained to use them will not be protected from COVID-19 with the same efficacy as a healthcare provider who has been trained to use them

17:43 - N95 respirator masks only filter 95% of viral particles when used correctly. With common usage, they are not significantly more effective than surgical or cloth masks.

19:58 - Never touch your face while wearing a mask

20:06 - Tie back hair so that you are not tempted to brush it out of your face

20:16 - Use medical tape to seal edges on the bridge of the nose and along the sides of the nose

21:19 - When putting on your mask, hold it by the straps or loops as far as possible from the piece that covers your face

21:30 - Position the mask along the bridge of the nose first, position it under your chin, and then fasten the attachments

21:42 - Do not touch the square portion of the mask that covers your face 

21:53 - To remove the mask, repeat this procedure and again avoid touching the square portion of the mask

22:25 - Wash cloth masks immediately after every use

22:30 - DO NOT remove your mask after leaving a store, allow it to drape around your neck, or place it in your bag or purse as the masks may be covered with viral particles

23:08 - Wash hands before and after putting on or removing a mask

23:19 - Wearing a mask and using it improperly may put the wearer at more risk of contracting COVID-19 than not wearing it at all

24:32 - Kristen explains the 6 options the CDC recommends for hospitals who do not have enough masks for their healthcare providers

27:56 - Using cloth masks is the absolute last resort recommended by the CDC because cloth masks are not considered effective PPE and their ability to protect HCPs is unknown

32:01 - The CDC has started to recommend that members of the American public wear cloth masks when outside of their homes

32:16 - Up to 25% of the people who are spreading the COVID-19 virus are asymptomatic 

32:55 - Cloth mask wearing in public has become very common in parts of Asia since the 2003 SARS epidemic 

33:56 - Community-wide wearing of masks protects the community because cloth masks are effective at preventing the spread of the virus when worn by the infected person

35:50 - A 2015 study found that cloth masks only blocked 3% of viral particles

36:29 - Some studies performed recently found that cloth masks could block as much as 60% of viral particles, but the design of the experiment raises questions about whether that means cloth masks will protect the wearer from COVID-19

37:38 - Individuals must continue to take all previous precautions (social distancing, hand washing, etc) even when wearing a cloth mask

39:10 - Some rudimentary cloth masks can be fashioned out of a bandana and some hair ties

39:22 - Some homemade cloth masks include filters made out of vacuum cleaner bags, air filters, or even panty liners

40:00 - Never touch the square portion of the mask when putting it on or taking it off, and make sure to wash your hands before and after touching the mask

40:07 - Frequent hand washing is still the best way to protect yourself from COVID-19

41:13 - If you are going to wear a mask, you still need to clean all the surface areas around you because the mask does not provide 100% protection from the virus

41:38 - Wear your mask until you return to your house and can put it directly into the washing machine

43:22 - Cloth masks can pose a health risk to immunocompromised wearers

47:10 - If you want to donate homemade masks to healthcare providers, contact your personal physician’s office and ask if they are accepting them. 

48:20 - Local police departments and grocery delivery workers may also be accepting donations of homemade masks

49:03 - Danielle invites listeners to join our new Facebook group @IFAiArthritis to learn more about this and other topics

49:17 - Private comments may be directed to AiArthritis via FB, Twitter, or Instagram message @IFAiArthritis or emailed to podcast@aiarthritis.org

49:31- Find this and all our episodes at www.aiarthritis.org/podcast, or visit www.aiarthritis.org/covid19 for all our COVID-19 related resources