Lowering The R0 Factor With Personal Protection Face Masks
Posted on: 29 May 2020
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There tends to be a lot of confusion regarding whether or not wearing personal protection face masks is effective in protecting against the novel coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2. For the most part, this may be due to the ongoing research being done and how the discoveries have changed policies surrounding the virus and the disease it causes: COVID-19.
It's important to understand that new discoveries about the virus and the disease can change policies, such as wearing personal protection face masks. Here's why wearing face masks is recommended and what to look for when buying yours.
R0 5.7 - High Contagiousness & Rapid Spread
One thing that has been discovered by scientists and researchers is that this particular pathogen has a high R0 with a median value of 5.7, according to the Centers for Disease Control. R0 is pronounced "R-naught" and is the reproduction number which is used to describe the intensity of a disease outbreak caused by a pathogen. In simple terms, R0 is how many people one sick person will infect, on average.
For COVID-19, this means one person can infect 5-6 people, and those 5-6 can each infect 5-6 people, and so on and so on, unless mitigation efforts are taken to reduce the spread. That's how social distancing, washing hands, and wearing masks fits in to help flatten the curve so not everyone is sick at the same time and overwhelming hospitals.
Personal Protection Face Masks
Wearing face masks, particularly when you are unable to maintain social distancing, can effectively prevent both the infected from transmitting the virus and the healthy from contracting the virus. Because of this, personal protection face masks reduce the spread in the community, which effectively lowers the R0 factor. If a large majority of people in the community wear masks, it can help lower the R0.
Sometimes, people can be infected and contagious yet not have symptoms, which is why it's a good idea to always wear a mask, even when you are feeling healthy. Your personal protection face mask should be washable or disposable. If you choose to wear washable masks, purchase several so you can always have a clean one available.
Preferably, 100% cotton is a good choice due to the way the fibers bind together and create a more effective barrier than synthetic materials. Just be sure to wash the masks on the temperature settings recommended by the manufacturer so as to not shrink the masks.
Contact a company that sells washable personal protection face masks to learn more.