Well now just one minute. If N95s work both ways, as in they also mitigate catching the virus versus just the spread as with common masks, I should think they could be vital for high risk individuals who are forced out of their homes for groceries, etc. Maybe there should be distribution process for issuing N95 masks to everyone at high risk. That would be in keeping with the goal to open up the economy and putting the emphasis on protecting the vulnerable versus locking down all the healthy people who can weather a virus infection with very little chance of death.
My understanding:
-homemade masks do prevent people from both catching and spreading.
-N95s supply was VERY limited due to worldwide need and increased demand
-N95s were needed by medical folks due to close exposure.
-Currently, in most areas, high risk people should be staying at home and minimizing exposure. If I was high risk I'd probably be asking other folks to do my grocery shopping, etc.
-As N95 production ramps up and there's enough for others then I'd agree that having higher risk folks wear them (or something like them) would seem to be a direction we could go.
However, as others have said, to be effective it will need to fitted and the protocol for how/when to take off a mask will need to be adhered to. For instance, if you work in a higher risk lab, you were supposed to throw out your respirator after every use. There's no on, off, back on. If you took one off it was supposed to go in the trash sort of like a band aid. That's why developing a way to clean/reuse was important to address supply issues.
I think as we come out of the "crisis response" mode we can hopefully switch over to "thoughtful response" and come up with plans that will allow some form of normal life to resume. I don't think it won't be immediately back to normal, most people are going to want to take baby steps back in to the pool of life.
www.npr.org
