Since China announced the Covid-19 outbreak, leaders and West healthcare authorities have circulated a very harmful and worthless advisement to the West: "Its not necessary to wear masks unless you're sick". The public has interpreted this to mean that all masks, even medical ones for the general public is completely useless.
Yet, the same officials just amended the CDC guidelines for protective wear to medical professionals: "if you don't have a mask to protect, use a bandana or a scarf, anything!" in response to the shortage of medical grade masks. They all recognize that masks protect and prevent the spread.
Hence, when you see crowds fighting for toilet paper in the West, only some Asians are wearing a mask. Yet, the Asian countries such as Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore - countries whose close proximity to China and whose international recognition should have been places where most people would see an outbreak currently like Italy, Spain, or the US, - practice "Universal Mask". What does this mean? It means the entire community assumes and understands that Covid-19 has an incubation period of at least 14 days with no symptoms. Especially - especially in the West where tests are not widely and freely available like S. Korea, the general public should all assume that they and everyone else are infected and never go out anywhere without at least a mask, any mask. Some protection is always better than none.
Studies have shown that merely covering with 1 layer of a cotton blend t-shirt can block 70% of 0.02 micron particles compared to a surgical disposable mask that blocked 89%. Even a porous silk fabric can block 54%. Mixing or doubling the layers of these household materials dramatically increased the protection by an average of an additional 10%.
The Boston Globe has come out to outright say that all the public officials are flat out wrong for making dangerous claims that masks don't work.
I would argue in watching this unfold that all of these Western Public officials claims are truly the main reason and cause of the extreme measures that the West must now take since the outbreak has reached community spread.
Covid-19 could have been contained since China's announcement if Western countries simply did this back in January of 2020.
1. Immediately prepare for wide availability of tests at all international airports and to monitor everyone traveling from China in the last 30 days.
2. Issue a public warning to all individuals traveling from China in the 30 days to self-quarantine and to go to a local center to immediately test for Covid-19.
3. Immediately issue a recommendation to the general public to practice heightened safety measures - and wear Universal mask in all public and especially crowded places - and protective eye wear, keep a good social distance, wash hands properly, sanitize properly, bring tissue everywhere to touch public rails, buttons & then throw away.
4. Immediately discourage public from hoarding any medical masks - warning the healthcare professionals will require it in the event of outbreak.
4. Meanwhile, prepare all hospitals with a storage of masks, protective gear, and ventilators. Knowing that China is the main manufacturer of these supplies, Western countries should immediately give financial incentives to private domestic production of these supplies on an emergency basis to prepare.
Yes, anyone following Covid-19 today will know that this is all the Western countries need to do to prevent the massive shutdown and collapse of the world and the economy now. It could prevent the tens of thousands of deaths coming. It could prevent the millions of families that will be forever devastated by the financial harm of the extreme measures that the West never had to take today.
Yet, it is never to late to begin Universal Mask today.
Every one, if you hoarded medical masks, please donate them to your local hospital. Helping them will help you.
Now that the outbreak has already reached us, the virus is everywhere, we can each do are part ourselves and the world by doing this:
1. Wear a 2 layered mask at all times when in public or around people. Use tightly woven materials. Use reusable ones to prevent waste.
2. Use water or airtight googles at all times in public. You can use swim goggles. If you do not have it, at least wear glasses or sunglasses as some protection.
3. Wear tightly woven fabrics - long sleeves and pants out.
4. Wear gloves - any gloves.
5. Wear a shower cap and tuck all your hair under it. If you don't have one, wear a beanie or a cap, or hat. Were a reusable one.
6. Even while wearing gloves, never touch any public surfaces without using a thick disposable tissue that you will throw away immediately after touching one public surface.
7. Once you return home, immediately throw everything you were in the laundry and wash with a small amount of bleach in warm water with regular detergent.
It sounds like a lot and you will probably look a bit silly. But it's really just the same as dressing for going out in the winter. It's really not hard to do on a daily basis if you fully understand how much it helps.
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