As a COVID-19 second wave intensifies in Victoria, the debate around Australia’s mask policy has reignited.
This simple step could make your mask a whole lot more comfortable.Source:Facebook
Despite there being increasing evidence that masks can slow the spread of coronavirus there’s still many reluctant to wear them.
Common complaints are that masks can make it hard to breathe, they move around too much and fog up glasses.
But a simple fix on the most common type of covering, the disposable surgical mask, can make it significantly more comfortable – and it’s an adjustment that will take you less than 10 seconds to make.
In a Facebook video that’s been viewed more than 10 million times, one medical employee demonstrated how to put on a surgical mask with one added step to make it more comfortable.
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The woman ties a knot close to the base of the mask.Source:Facebook
Before putting on the mask the woman folds it in half lengthwise, tying a knot in the elastic ear loop at the base of the mask.
The mask’s edges are then pushed through the loop created by the knot, creating a dome shape.
The video got more than 17,000 comments, however many were confused by the woman in the video’s decision to tie a knot in the ear loops.
But according to infection prevention and control expert Professor Mary-Louise McLaws from the University of NSW doing this step could make the mask much more comfortable.
“This is a great method of improving the efficacy of a medical mask for health workers where they have a limited supply of respirators /N95 masks (as the sides of the mask now are close the face) and for health workers with higher risk of exposure to COVID-19 than in the community,” she told news.com.au.
“It may also improve breathability of these masks for the public as it makes a peak in the front of your mouth and may reduce fogging of glasses.
“I would add that it’s advisable to clean your hands before you make these adjustments.”
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The mask’s edges are then pushed through the loop created by the knot to create a dome shape.Source:Facebook
FACE MASKS SHOULD BE WORN IN HOTSPOTS
Last week the Victorian government changed its advice on face masks to recommend that anyone in a hotspot region wear them when social distancing is difficult.
“When you can’t maintain that 1.5m social distance, so whether you are in an Uber or a taxi or if you are on public transport, many other examples, or even for the shopping of basics you need when you need them, even a homemade mask or another mask, it is our request of you, it’s not compulsory, we are simply asking that if you can wear a mask where you can’t distance, that is exactly what we would like you to do,” Victorian Premier Dan Andrews said.
Surgical masks have been labelled the “best option”, however, there is growing evidence that cloth face mask are effective as well.
“Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus – particularly when used universally within a community setting,” Dr Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Professor Mark L. Wahlqvist, Head of Medicine at Monash University previously told news.com.au that “the value of wearing masks is clear”.
“It was recognised (early) that the virus could behave in aerosol form through human discharge and especially in polluted atmospheres,” Prof Wahlqvist said.
“It was, and is therefore, necessary to use masks to protect ourselves and others.
“The advice in Australia has been muddled because this has not been communicated and it is becoming clear that this was because of short supply at first and then the misrepresentation that masks would be of limited value.”
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Victorians have now been advised to wear masks in hotspot areas. Picture: Andrew HenshawSource:News Corp Australia
‘YOU LEARN BY TRIAL AND ERROR’
Despite growing evidence masks help to stem the spread of coronavirus, some people – particularly in the United States – are refusing to wear face coverings as a political statement, while others have complained they are too uncomfortable to wear.
In the last few months, countless videos have gone viral showing encounters between customers furious at being asked to wear masks by store staff in the US.
In response, surgeon John Clarke, an emeritus professor of surgery at Drexel University at Philadelphia, wrote in The Washington Post that he had “no sympathy” for complaints.
Even though Prof Clarke had worn a mask for most of his working life he admitted it “could be uncomfortable” still, he wrote.
“Yes, you learn by trial and error how to pinch the wire across the bridge of your nose so that your breath doesn’t shoot out the top of the mask and fog your glasses,” Prof Clarke said.
“You wear a mask because, in the operating room, contamination is a no-no. You wear a mask because if you don’t, the most vulnerable person in the room – the patient – might get an infection because of you.”