masks

I'm afraid it's too late, opinion seems to be that a mask does no good unless it's for someone to wear who has the virus to prevent or reduce the chance of others being infected. Unless it's a proper surgical mask it will do very little to protect the wearer. If you check it out a fully protected medical worker has a full face fitting mask with an oxygen supply, at this point save your money.

Surgical masks are designed to stop surgeons coughing and sneezing bacteria and viruses into the open wounds of their patients. They are very much less than 100% effective. 

Somebody who has Covid-19, should wear a surgical mask to reduce the risk of infecting people in close proximity, and that will reduce but not eliminate infection spreading. 

If you are thinking of protecting yourself from infection, then a surgical mask does very little because, the air that you breathe in, enters through the gaps at the sides of the masks. People wear masks because they feel safer. 

If you want to avoid infection then keep a distance of 2 metres from anyone who may be infected, try not to share an unventilated space with them and wash your hands frequently.

You should also try not to touch your face, however, that is almost impossible. Research shows that people touch their face about 20 times each hour. That is about 300 times each day. People do this unconsciously. You may be able to reduce how often you do this but to reduce it to zero is a high bar. 

If you are unable to keep your distance, and you have reason to think that you are in a vulnerable category, then you can only guarantee protection by full body haz mat suit and a helmet that has a filtered supply of air. 

The good news is that 999 out of 1,000 people are not vulnerable. A very high percentage of the population has been infected, with little if any symptoms, and now are immune. 

A Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology at Oxford University believes that the rate of infection, in the UK, probably is about 50%:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/professor-half-the-country-may-have-caught-it-already-9m39rpzhc‎

The problem is that less than 1% of the population has been tested and, therefore, there is no hard knowledge about rates of infection. People with symptoms are told to stay at home. It is only people with serious reactions to the virus that are being tested. 

Anecdotally, I have spoken to lots of people in London who all say, when asked to think about it, that they have had a dry cough or a fever for a few days in the last 2 months.  

The social distancing rules that have been introduced are a total waste of time for people who have been crammed into Underground trains, day in and day out, for the last 2 months because they have all been infected. 

I am in my 60s and, that age alone, has not been a problem. As you get older, so your ability to fight virus infections gets weaker. You will probably be vulnerable and must take measures if you have smoked cigarettes for many years, have lung disease, heart disease, diabetes, obesity or take immuno-suppressive drugs becuase you have undergone transplant surgery or for treatment of cancer.

I am in agreement, a simple mask is no use. Only a professional full mask for disease is of any use. But a good way around this is the full face snorkel mask, you know the funny looking ones that have a pipe going upwards. As it is a sealed unit to stop water getting in when snorkeling, 

Hope this helps. 

Thank you so much to Jan who made this site and made all our lives easier by bringing information and people together, for aiding us in our dreams of living in Spain, 

Thank Jan and her family for carrying on this page for us