Coronavirus thread

[MVS]

I'm a little confused by this quote and don't agree with his conclusion.

Medical students/residents wearing masks touch their face a lot (is this more or less than without a mask?) → they might touch a contaminated surface → and then touch their face which might get them sick (don't they have a mask on their face?) .

Maybe I'm a little obtuse but I don't see how those ideas relate in a cogent way.




Yeah, surgical masks provide at best modest, arguably little to no protection for the user. As I'm sure you know, the larger benefit is for others in the room. Surgeons wear masks not to protect themselves, but the surgical field/patient from their own respiratory droplets etc. As to how this translates at the epidemiological level, I can't really say.

I can tell you as someone who is immunocompromised I get very nervous when sharing close quarters (e.g. the elevator in my new apartment building) with someone who is not wearing a mask. When the maintenance guy came into our unit for a service ticket, I was more than annoyed that he kept taking his off and asked him to wear it as long as he's in my apartment.

I get that wearing a mask sucks, and that surgical/cloth masks don't do much for the wearer. I don't hold it against anyone if they choose to not wear one outside. That said, as someone who is at risk for severe disease if infected with SARS CoV2, I am also made safer when people around me wear masks. It's hard for me to say that masks are of no value when I know this is true.

edit:



Assuming this is re: the study of med students/residents, I actually think if anything that the general public (in current times) probably touches their face less when they are wearing a mask.

Surgical masks are put on and removed constantly in the hospital, and there isn't really any training that goes with it. Put it on your head, take it off. Wearing one is so routine that if anything I would bet the trainees in that survey were much less cautious than the average person in current times who is concerned enough with the virus to wear one out in public. This is of course just my opinion, but in reflecting on my time in the OR I was definitely much less worried about contagion than I am now just in the world around me.

I could have quoted any of your posts, I just chose this one. You clearly don't have your Facebook medical degree.

[Nephrology]

Because they fiddle with the mask. They adjust it. They pull it down and rub their nose. They grab the top to move it and brush the skin around the eyes. They do it subconciously.

If I take my hand out of my pocket and rub the bridge of my nose, I've transferred my pocket contents to the bridge of my nose. The inside of my pocket may or may not be contaminated but isn't contaminated by design.

If I touch the outside of my mask and rub the bridge of my nose, I've transferred the outside of my mask's contents to the bridge of my nose. If my mask is working, the outside of my mask is a contaminated surface by design. Hence why there are procedures for doffing.

Absent a face shield, a lot of transferring occurs. Just watch people at your work.

I understand this point, I'm just not sure if I know that if a mask, in the net, makes this a bigger problem than not wearing one at all. Seems like if the mask makes you inclined to touch your face more often, but also directly prevents you from physically touching a big % of your face, the net difference in susceptibility to infection transmitted via fomites would be small. Also still largely not worried about the mask as a fomite, but this is 100% evidence-free opinion.

[BehindBlueI's]

I understand this point, I'm just not sure if I know that if a mask, in the net, makes this a bigger problem than not wearing one at all.

I'm not sure either.

What I am sure of is the US Surgeon General, the CDC, and the WHO all said that exact thing until very recently.

[Nephrology]

I could have quoted any of your posts, I just chose this one. You clearly don't have your Facebook medical degree.

Lol, excuse me? What are you implying exactly?

[BehindBlueI's]

Lol, excuse me? What are you implying exactly?

He's shit-posting. Which is fine. But I think he meant is as a compliment to you that you have real knowledge.

[Nephrology]

I'm not sure either.

What I am sure of is the US Surgeon General, the CDC, and the WHO all said that exact thing until very recently.

I mean, they also changed their minds on this too. I think this is reflective of the fact that there isn't really a lot of "good data" on the question and likely never will be due to the nature of the question.

It's also why I don't really get my panties in a bunch if someone feels one way or the other about wearing a mask. It is unfortunate that it has become such a contentious topic.

[MVS]

Lol, excuse me? What are you implying exactly?

I am implying that there are a lot of Facebook meme medical experts out there these days. I see people argue things they know nothing about with people like you who actually have knowledge and first hand experience on the subject. I value your input here so please don't think I was insulting you. Far from it.

To bring up a different subject, the hospital my wife works at finally picked their antibody test and are going to start using it tomorrow.

[Nephrology]

I am implying that there are a lot of Facebook meme medical experts out there these days. I see people argue things they know nothing about with people like you who actually have knowledge and first hand experience on the subject. I value your input here so please don't think I was insulting you. Far from it.

To bring up a different subject, the hospital my wife works at finally picked their antibody test and are going to start using it tomorrow.

ahh OK, no harm no foul. My apologies for taking it the wrong way - glad I asked for clarification!

[Nephrology]

I'm not sure either.

What I am sure of is the US Surgeon General, the CDC, and the WHO all said that exact thing until very recently.

P.S. As I suspected, I just went back and found that earlier in this thread I had at one point made exactly the same argument you are making now, so clearly my opinions on this are neither strong nor fixed.

[willie]

Mass quality varies. Note that some have been returned to the maker. Many are home made. I wear this type. As I shop, I stay far away from non mask wears. This choice seems to be a good idea based on experts' consensus. But let me point out that consensus does not imply 100 % agreement. Never would I have thought that we would debate wearing masks to this extent.