Search results for "Face masks"
showing 10 items of 13 documents
Facial masks in children: the position statement of the Italian pediatric society
2020
AbstractFacial masks may be one of the most cost-effective strategies to prevent the diffusion of COVID 19 infection. Nevertheless, fake news are spreading, alerting parents on dangerous side effects in children, such as hypercapnia, hypoxia, gut dysbiosis and immune system weakness. Aim of the Italian Pediatric Society statement is to face misconception towards the use of face masks and to spread scientific trustable information.
High efficacy of face masks explained by characteristic regimes of airborne SARS-CoV-2 virus abundance
2021
Abstract Airborne transmission is an important transmission pathway for viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Regions with a higher proportion of people wearing masks show better control of COVID-19, but the effectiveness of masks is still under debate due to their limited and variable efficiencies in removing respiratory particles. Here, we analyze experimental data and perform model calculations to show that this contrast can be explained by the different regimes of abundance of particles and viruses. Because of the large number of particles exhaled during human respiration and vocalization, indoor environments are usually in a particle-rich regime which means that masks cannot prevent the inhal…
Aerosol filtration efficiency of household materials for homemade face masks: Influence of material properties, particle size, particle electrical ch…
2020
As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the widespread daily use of face masks is promoted worldwide. Particle-size dependent filtration efficiencies (FE; dp = 30 nm–10 µm), applying a particle counting approach, and additionally pressure drops (Δp) were determined for 44 samples of household materials and several medical masks. Huge FE differences were found between sample materials and for different particle sizes, spanning from <10% up to almost 100%. Minimum FE were determined for dp = 50–500 nm particles with significantly larger values for dp = 30 nm particles and especially for those with dp > 2.5 µm. Measurements at different numbers of layers…
Face masks considerably reduce COVID-19 cases in Germany
2020
Significance Mitigating the spread of COVID-19 is the objective of most governments. It is of utmost importance to understand how effective various public health measures are. We study the effectiveness of face masks. We employ public regional data about reported severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections for Germany. As face masks became mandatory at different points in time across German regions, we can compare the rise in infections in regions with masks and regions without masks. Weighing various estimates, we conclude that 20 d after becoming mandatory face masks have reduced the number of new infections by around 45%. As economic costs are close to zero compared to oth…
Face masks effectively limit the probability of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
2021
Masking out air sharing The effectiveness of masks in preventing the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has been debated since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. One important question is whether masks are effective despite the forceful expulsion of respiratory matter during coughing and sneezing. Cheng et al. convincingly show that most people live in conditions in which the airborne virus load is low. The probability of infection changes nonlinearly with the amount of respiratory matter to which a person is exposed. If most people in the wider community wear even simple surgical masks, then the probability of an encounter with a virus particle is even fur…
The Exponential Rise of Teledentistry and Patient-Oriented Protective Measures in Southeast Asian Dental Clinics: Concerns, Benefits, and Challenges
2021
In the Southeast Asian region, various policies have been advocated by health regulatory bodies that entail protective measures such as face masks, gloves, maintaining distance in public areas, and more. These protective measures are aimed at helping reverse the growth rate of the coronavirus. Dentists in this region have incorporated several changes to their practices to help minimize risks of person-to-person transmission inside dental offices. This narrative review aimed to provide an in-depth overview of the current situation in the Southeast Asian region regarding the use of teledentistry during the pandemic. Teledentistry involves the transfer of patient information across remote dist…
The Covid-19 containment effects of public health measures:A spatial difference-in-differences approach
2021
Abstract The paper studies the containment effects of public health measures to curb the spread of Covid‐19 during the first wave of the pandemic in spring 2020 in Germany. To identify the effects of six compound sets of public health measures, we employ a spatial difference‐in‐differences approach. We find that contact restrictions, mandatory wearing of face masks and closure of schools substantially contributed to flattening the infection curve. The significance of the impact of restaurant closure does not prove to be robust. No incremental effect is evidenced for closure of establishments and the shutdown of nonessential retail stores.
Modification of face masks with zeolite imidazolate framework-8
2022
The worldwide spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has continued to accelerate, putting a considerable burden on public health, safety, and the global economy. Taking into consideration that the main route of virus transmission is via respiratory particles, the face mask represents a simple and efficient barrier between potentially infected and healthy individuals, thus reducing transmissibility per contact by reducing transmission of infected respiratory particles. However, long-term usage of a face mask leads to the accumulation of significant amounts of different pathogens and viruses onto the surface of the mask and can result in dangerous bacterial and viral co-infections. Zeolite imidazolat…
Behind the mask: Rethinking the use of face masks while exercising
2021
there is an ongoing global effort against COVID-19 pan-demic. As vaccination is applied globally (predominantly onat-risk populations), various measures such as temporaryself-quarantine, social distancing, increased hand hygiene,and wearing a face mask (FM) proposed by the World HealthOrganization (WHO) and various governments worldwide arestill in place as primary means of preventing further dissemi-nation. In many instances, wearing a FM became mandatorywhen a person is in a closed space while being accompa-nied by others. Many individuals are therefore apprehensivein terms of maintaining their usual physical activity rout-ines and staying safe in the midst of the outbreak. Asa result, it…
Microstructural evaluation and recommendations for face masks in community use to reduce the transmission of respiratory infectious diseases
2022
Funding Information: A.K., H.Y. and R.J. also acknowledges the funding through Academy of Finland BESIMAL (Decision No. 334197) and Aalto University, Department of Communications and Networking. This work has also received funding in part from the EPSRC UK (grant number EP/R012091/1). A.K. would also like to thank Mr. Volkan Kaplan for the fruitful discussions in the early concept generation. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s) Background and Objective: Recommendations for the use of face masks to prevent and protect against the aerosols (≤5µm) and respiratory droplet particles (≥5µm), which can carry and transmit respiratory infections including severe acute respiratory syndrome coro…