New study: "First, there is strong and consistent evidence for airborne transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and other respiratory pathogens. Second, #masks are, if correctly and consistently worn, effective in reducing transmission of respiratory diseases and show a dose-response effect. Third, #respirators are significantly more effective than medical or cloth masks." #CovidIsNotOver#WearAMask#N95
Dear old friend, trusted confidant, colleague (take your pick) of many years before this thing called #Covid came for almost everyone—
—almost everyone but me and my fellow rebellious information- and situation-privileged weirdos and outcasts who still wear an #N95 or at least #KN95 around anyone outside their household, that is, plus some tiny unstudied group of people who seem to have true sterilizing immunity—
I’m having a hard time lately with this damn #pandemic and you’ve always… 🧵
"I, for one, will be wearing an #N95 mask to #Drupalcon, and I encourage others to do the same, since the #covid pandemic is not actually over and many attendees will have medical issues that either make them extra susceptible to infection or make it potentially catastrophic if they do contract the virus."
This should've been mandatory if they really cared about inclusion. But, well.
I, for one, will be wearing an #N95 mask to #Drupalcon, and I encourage others to do the same, since the #covid pandemic is not actually over and many attendees will have medical issues that either make them extra susceptible to infection or make it potentially catastrophic if they do contract the virus.
Attention: #COVID cautious folks! I just got an email from US Mask, from whom I've been buying #N95 respirators for a couple years, saying they're ceasing production "due to market conditions." Does anyone have recommendations for an alternate source? I can probably get one last batch from them, but that's it.
#CovidConscious crowd: I’m sure I saw some discussion of techniques for stapling excess #respirator material together under chin to improve fit on small faces …
But I can’t find it now and I don’t want to just start stapling willy-nilly!
Edit to add: remember to staple so the two pointy bits of the staple are on the outside of the mask. Otherwise you're going to have them scratching your chin area. I've done this type of stapling on the Dräger X-plore 1920 but stopped buying those because I had other stuff that fit me better and wasn't quite as expensive.
screengrab of a tweet by @yesallcrops from Feb 13, 2023. They wrote "I've mentioned that I have to staple all my masks tighter to fit my face shape. If I don't do this, I can feel air rushing out through the chin portion. Here's how I do that! (Try pinching the extra fabric under your chin while the mask is on to know where to staple)" There is a video of a person dressed in a black top with a V-neck. The hold a respirator in their hands. Then they pinch a bit of material in the middle of the chin area and use a small stapler to staple that pleat into place.
I am also going to share this video of how to do a DIY fit-test. Not because you have to do one, but because if you are able to confirm that the mask you've chosen works for you, then that is an added layer of confidence in your respirator. (It also enables you to help others test their masks / respirators)
Vitacore's having a RIDICULOUS clearance sale on a few 3M respirators; in particular, a case of Aura 1870+ is as cheap as I've ever seen it (or any other Aura, for that matter) -- works out to $0.70/ea