A CASE FOR MASKS IN THE ERA OF COVID-19: THREAD

Masks DO work. In fact, surprisingly well. In the study below, they did a test on a variety of different masks to see how much particulates they actually blocked. In this study, they tested these masks against car exhaust fumes/particulates.

They found that during the 2-hour city walk, systolic blood pressure was lower (114 ± 10 vs 121 ± 11 mmHg) and heart rate stayed stagnant for the most part. So what does this mean exactly? Well, your cardiovascular system is better off with a mask when exposed to a polluted area.

Now, let’s look at this for something more applied. In this following study, they aerosolized viruses and shot them towards the masks. They found that even with heavy breathing, the viral penetration remained >5%. It is now evident that masks DO in fact help.

Ok, so now what about the argument of N95 vs surgical masks? A randomized clinical trial was conducted to test these claims. A trial of 2800 persons was conducted, the statistical difference was no significant. The results yielded n95 (8.2%) vs surgical/medical masks (7.2%).

Now the argument is made regarding homemade/cloth masks. A study done in Cambridge yielded results that cloth/homemade masks still had 50% efficacy relative to surgical masks (80% efficacy). So to say homemade/cloth masks do nothing or don’t work is a bit disingenuous.

The claim that masks cause hypercapnia is false. N95 and surgical masks are meant to trap particulates (and viruses) from entering your lungs. Carbon molecules are FAR smaller than either of those. Can SOME carbon dioxide get trapped? Sure, but the levels are not significant.

High levels can cause issues, but the key here is “high levels”, which N95 masks do not and surgical masks do not. Now regarding oxygen level, anywhere between 95-100% saturation is considered normal/healthy.

A study conducted in 2008 showed what spO (oxygen saturation of atrial pulsation) were before a surgeon goes into operation, and after. You will notice the spO never drops lower than 96%.

References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2662779/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16490606/ 

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2749214

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258525804_Testing_the_Efficacy_of_Homemade_Masks_Would_They_Protect_in_an_Influenza_Pandemic

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18500410/