There’s been a run on surgical face masks in Asia as people become more unnerved about the Coronavirus, which was unleashed in Wuhan,China, and has now become a “global emergency.” Now, the U.S. has declared a public health emergency because of the virus.
The question people are asking is, do I need one of these surgical masks?
There are long lines to buy masks in neighboring Hong Kong:
It’s now next to impossible to get hold of face masks in #HongKong. Have seen long queues in various locations this morning in the hope there are some available. #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/j2sPDO693a
— Charlotte Chelsom-Pill (@charlottejourno) January 29, 2020
There’s mask hoarding in Japan by people from the PRC:
All masks were sold out in Japan and now gone to China with swarm of tourists. Government put "tourist business" first and own nation's health bottom #coronavirus #health #facemask #protectus #government #chinesetourist #locustarmy pic.twitter.com/OYnzD1ERJ6
— Mayo Tomioka (@MayoTomioka) January 28, 2020
The virus’s source is still a mystery. There are worries that it could have escaped from a germ-warfare lab in Wuhan, but the smart money is on the simplest answer, the live bat market in the city.
Airlines have canceled flights and Russia has even shut down its entire border with China until March.
CBS News reports that epidemiologists believe mask are OK if that’s what floats your boat, but that they don’t make a lot of sense unless you’re presenting symptoms: “Wearing a mask when you don’t have symptoms is not really that helpful. What is helpful though is washing your hands. Try not to touch your eyes, nose and mouth because viruses can spread easily on surfaces.”
The Mayo Clinic’s Q and A says face masks are ok:
It can’t hurt and it might help. Some studies have shown that using a surgical mask can help prevent influenza. And using a surgical mask and an alcohol-based hand sanitizer was shown to reduce the number of influenza-like illnesses in a group of students living in a college dormitory even more than using a surgical mask alone.
In other words, keep your hands away from your eyes, mouth and nose. Wash your hands and carry hand sanitizer.
Here are some decidedly unhelpful things to do with a face mask if you’re hellbent on using one.
This Chinese leader of Hong Kong shows that even the certified smart guys don’t know you have to put the mask over your nose and mouth.
She still has a 14% approval rating. How is that possible?
Seriously, though…it's possible that she has never worn a facemask before. Can someone please ask her?#HongKongProtests #FaceMask #CarrieLam https://t.co/Dpriv4LnAg
— Joseph Woodard 😷😷😷 (@joe_woodard) January 28, 2020
She needs lessons from this man:
One of the ways to prevent #CoronaVirus is to use Face Mask.#FaceMask can only be useful to combat #CoronaVirusOutbreak if you know how to use it right.
Please learn from this video from World Health Organisation WHO.#coronoavirus pic.twitter.com/QMWfeKUp8x
— Dadiyata The Jonathanian (@The_Jonathanian) January 25, 2020
Though interesting, to say the least, wearing face masks as a bra will not prevent disease.
Some confusion in #ktv about the correct way to apply a #facemask #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/tQzP8JwQfu
— Corona Virus (@CoronaVirusAsia) January 28, 2020
No, that’s not how any of this is done. You don’t dig out old masks from the garbage, “recycle” them and hope not to get a disease. Any disease. Please stop.
Some #FaceMask recycling pic.twitter.com/PZnMwsxbTR
— 🇮🇪let them fly business class🇭🇰 (@decminhk) January 28, 2020
You might be like this man who wonders “should I buy one?”
Hey New York! Looks like there may be a #FaceMask shortage brewing. I got my supply at the Dollar Store. https://t.co/WTJxvD7jos pic.twitter.com/SBZXstjVUU
— Dave Lucas (@davelucas) January 30, 2020
As of this writing, there are four states in which coronavirus has popped up.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is urging Americans not to travel to China:
.@StateDept is increasing the #China Travel Advisory to Level 4 – Do Not Travel. This is due to the spread of the novel #coronavirus throughout China & the @WHO determination that the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. https://t.co/BIIUdavoP0
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) January 31, 2020
Scientific American reports that in Germany a woman who was not symptomatic gave the disease to a business associate:
People showing no symptoms appear to be able to spread the novel coronavirus that has caused an outbreak in China and led world health authorities to declare a global emergency, researchers reported Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine. If confirmed, the finding will make it much harder to contain the virus.
The case described—from Germany—could help resolve one of the major unknowns about the virus, which as of Thursday night had infected nearly 9,700 people in China and killed 213. About 100 more infections have been reported in 18 other countries, but no deaths.
[…]
Even if asymptomatic people can spread the virus, they may be less likely to than people who are sneezing and coughing—routes for the virus to jump from one person to another.
It’s not an overwhelming case for masks, but it’s your call.
Wuhan has quarantined itself so that the virus won’t escape any more. Everyone there is wearing a mask. But it’s too late. The bug is out.
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