Caption: How facemasks minimize droplet dispersion in three different scenarios (Credit: Thorax)
The research, conducted by the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, compared the effectiveness of a one- and two-layer cloth face covering against a three-ply surgical face-mask in stopping the spread of droplets during a sneezing experiment.
The one-layer covering was made using “quick cut T-shirt face covering (no-sew method)” and the two-layer covering was prepared using the sew method prescribed by the US Centre for Disease Control.
A high-speed camera captured the droplets coming out of each material during a sneeze.
The results were pretty conclusive: face-masks were the most effective barrier against the dispersion of water droplets.
Was Trump wrong to pull us out of the WHO? The WHO proved masks suppress transmission.
The WHO said face masks can help in suppressing the pandemic especially in areas with a large amount of community transmission.
The WHO Technical Lead Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove said: “masks can actually provide a mechanistic barrier that if someone were infected with COVID-19, you can prevent those droplets from going through and infecting someone”.
This new advice comes after several months of research and consultations with international experts from different disciplines such as infectious diseases and epidemiology.
More importantly, face masks are starting to become compulsory in various countries including Australia to combat COVID-19.
Give them the “sneeze test” if they come to you unprotected…
If some of your patients are either coming into your practice unprotected, or have asked you for advice on wearing face masks, take a few minutes to show them the results of this sneeze test.
If need be, show them the sneezing test captured in a video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNeYfUTA11s
Have some samples of face-masks ready to give out to patients if they don’t have any or want to try wearing one.
Also, train your receptionists to understand the importance of wearing face masks, using the same research from Thorax and this video of the sneeze test.
The best thing to do is to lead by example. Wear one when you go into the clinic and get all your employees to wear face-masks when they come to work.
Put up signs outside your clinic entrance and inside your clinic on how to wear a face mask properly.
Prepare some pamphlets showing the benefits of wearing a face mask and have some samples of face masks sitting in the waiting room for patients to take home.
Download the research summary here if you and your staff would like to know more: https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/health/which-mask-works-best-we-filmed-people-coughing-and-sneezing-find-out
By Tom Steenhuysen ~ JustCallMeTom. 😉
About me? I’m one of the founders of the ActionPPE movement since day one. I’ve been working for the Charleston County Medical Society for over a decade.
I’m grateful to be able to help and humbled by all the support. Thank you!