Covid is a highly contageous disease, and you should wear a mask, N95, KN95, KF94, or equivalent, to protect yourself against contracting the virus. This article explains why and how to wear a mask safely.
How to Stay Safe from Covid
As of October 2021, people around the world are still contracting Covid. Research about Covid out of Israel, where over 79% of the population has received the Covid shots, people who received the shots still contract and have horrible symptoms from Covid. In the United States, there are cases of people with the shot still dying from Covid. (See the history of this article below.)
The sure way to protect yourself is to wear a proper mask. We recommend KN95, N95, or KF94 masks.
Why fabric masks can put you at risk for Covid
Fabric masks or surgical masks, without a full face seal, do a nice job of preventing your germs from entering the air. If everyone wore masks, this benefit would keep us safe from Covid.
The good news is that in a recent study conducted in the United States and Canada, researchers demonstrated that, in a ventilated indoor setting, fabric masks reduced the risk of contamination by 67%.
Additionally, fabric masks can also reduce your tendency to touch your face. Although, when out and about, you probably see people touching their fabric masks and bandanas a great deal, putting them at risk for contracting Covid.
However, the fact is that if a Covid droplet lands on fabric, the mask cannot as effectively protect you and might put you at risk because the virus can then penetrate through the fabric.
The fact that droplets are the source of contamination is very important to understand. In the same study referenced above, researchers found that droplets spread further than 6 feet, especially when people are seated. You want a proper mask to stay safe.
Protecting against droplets
No research has been done on adding waterproof coatings to fabric masks. So many questions arise with no answers. A couple of questions are:
- Does the waterproof barrier repel or attract the droplets?
- How long would it take for the droplets to penetrate if the surface cannot repel them?
Proper masks provide the protection you need from Covid
Given this information, what is a safe option? N95, KN95, KF94 or equivalent certified masks can provide added protection against a direct sneeze. These masks have undergone rigorous testing. You have the time necessary to remove and dispose of the mask safely if droplets land on the mask.
Please buy proper masks to keep you and your family safe from Covid.
Wearing a mask is the smart choice
After almost two years of living with the risk of contracting Covid, people in the west seem much more comfortable with wearing masks. Even the CDC finally supports the wearing of masks.
Ideally remove your mask every 30-60 minutes to breathe in fresh air. Do not wear your reusable mask more than the recommended length of time, usually 72 hours.
In addition to helping you stay safe from Covid, masks have reduced common ailments, like the flu, without the negative and harmful side effects of medications.
The right masks are effective against Covid
Dr. Hui also states that, “If you are standing in front of someone who is sick, the mask will give some protection.” Hui also says, “The mask provides a barrier from respiratory droplets, which is predominantly how the virus spreads.”
While Dr. Hui has this information from his work with SARS and later lab research, he makes another great point that researchers cannot do randomized studies on humans. Having some subjects wear a mask and others not, while exposing them to a coronavirus, such as Covid, would be unethical.
A tale of two card games
Interestingly, that is exactly what a group of researchers did to themselves! This group ran two experiments, definitely not as a controlled trial but out of curiosity and to advance their work in the lab.
The scientists played two games of cards around a table. The people in the first game were NOT wearing masks.
They sat playing cards for less than an hour. One of the people had been infected with a coronavirus (not Covid-19 because it didn’t exist in the human population yet). The idea was to see if anyone could catch the virus just sitting around the table. EVERYONE contracted the virus.
The people in the second game played with an infected person but DID wear masks. No one contracted the virus.
Advice about masks to protect against Covid from virologist Dr. James Robb
Many of you have probably already read the advice of Dr. James Robb. If you haven’t, he began researching coronaviruses back in the 1970s. He continued his work through the SARS and MERS epidemics, both from different animal sources.
Dr. Robb recommends five steps to take during influenza season. These steps are great for flu and Covid. Because Covid is so virulent, he offers TWO additional steps – wearing gloves and a MASK.
Here’s why Dr. Robb recommends a mask. Masks prevent you from touching your nose or mouth. This is the only way the virus can infect you, because it is lung specific.
He explains that people touch their faces, especially their nose and mouth, 90 or more times a day without knowing it!
How to put on, remove and dispose of a mask properly
The San Francisco department of public health has a great page on how to use a mask properly to protect against Covid. The article describes how to both put on and remove the masks safely.
Because you should wear a mask safely, especially your reusable mask, we created a video to teach you how! Click here to learn more: VIDEO LINK.
Covid and Masks Article History
When I first wrote this article in March 2020, two people in my family had Covid. I’ll never know if wearing a face mask could have protected either of them. The research shows that it’s more than likely a mask could have helped. Also at this time, the CDC told people they didn’t need to wear masks. Thank goodness the word has gotten out about how important they are.
Writing on April 29, 2020, my family members were healthy and strong. They healed by diligently preparing and drinking the herbal remedies recommended in our article about how to treat Covid naturally.
Tragically, because my family felt safe wearing fabric masks, despite my cautions. Several of them who had not yet caught Covid were infected. One of these family members died December 3, 2020. While I understood in theory the pain caused from losing a family member to Covid, I had no idea how it would feel. The pain, confusion, and trauma defy description. Please stay safe and wear the recommended N95, KN95, and KF94 masks properly.
Even with the shots, you can still get infected and infect others. Learn more here.
Summary
Remember that Covid is an easily transmittable virus. Avoiding the virus is your best way to stay healthy.
When you go out, you should wear a mask to keep your hands off your nose and mouth. Any surgical mask will help you accomplish this goal.
You might also want the extra layer of protection afforded by a N95, KN95, KF94, or equivalent mask, which will protect you from droplets long enough for you to remove the mask and dispose of it safely.