Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

[Clodfobble]

Fun fact I learned yesterday: if you call the paramedics for a completely non-COVID reason, they will stand on your porch arguing for 5 minutes that you should carry the patient downstairs to them so that they don't have to enter your home. I get that they have a hard job right now, but Jesus fucking Christ.

[xoxoxoBruce]

If their clothing (protective gear) is contaminated they'd bring it into your house. If your house is contaminated then they and their equipment gets soiled.
And it's not like they charge thousands of dollars. Oh, they do.

Besides, you just have to drag grandma down the stairs not up. Oh wait, you gave her a room in the basement? Bummer.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Fun fact I learned yesterday: if you call the paramedics for a completely non-COVID reason, they will stand on your porch arguing for 5 minutes that you should carry the patient downstairs to them so that they don't have to enter your home. I get that they have a hard job right now, but Jesus fucking Christ.

I hope you learned this second-hand...

[Clodfobble]

First hand, unfortunately, but everyone's fine now. There's a bunch of stuff that led up to it, but long story short, Minifob had a sudden crash in blood pressure that caused him to pass out in my arms and stop breathing for a short bit. I got him to the floor and breathing again, albeit erratically, within 15-20 seconds or so. Utterly terrifying, and Mr. Clod and I stayed in his room all night in shifts, but the combination of causes was very identifiable, so there's no concern it will happen again. The paramedics did eventually come upstairs once they understood that the "breathing problems" had nothing to do with COVID and he had in fact tested negative for it just a week ago.

[Griff]

Wow. Rough experience. Sorry Clod.

[Flint]

Asshole tourists with no masks are coming back out to the coast. My town had to pass it's own ordinance requiring masks, so the shopkeepers didn't have to be the "bad guy" in asking people to wear a mask. Locals are now engaged in a "debate" about whether masks are a good idea-- a fact that NO SCIENTIFIC EXPERT disputes. But thanks to oRaNgE dAdDy, a public health crisis is now a ƒucking political issue.

I want to be clear that I mean this in the most offensive way possible-- if you vote Republican and contribute to the current climate of anti-intellectual zombies that are actively TRYING TO SPREAD a deadly virus by avoiding a simple, easy solution, please kill yourself so I can piss on your grave.

Oh, and the local fascists have doxxed my address and made death threats against me online. Because I said they shouldn't threaten to shoot protestors. Because they believed that aNTiFa iS bUsSiNg iN pRoTeStOrS tO sMaLL tOwNs.

[sexobon]

Can't the locals just wear diving masks and scuba tanks or something? That way they'll still get those tourist dollars.

[Griff]

and dump the bodies in the ocean.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Utterly terrifying...

Shit, I would imagine so!

Glad he's doing better.

[Griff]

Apparently EMS don't have to do their jobs if it's Covid? The only paramedic in my family is kinda typical for around here, they aren't afraid of the "flu" and are weirdly offended by masks. As PA begins growing cases again, I'm wondering when NYS puts PA on the quarantine list and I end up unemployed.

[sexobon]

Home-made face masks likely need at least 2 layers to curb COVID-19 spread

Home-made cloth face masks likely need a minimum of two layers, and preferably three, to prevent the dispersal of viral droplets from the nose and mouth that are associated with the spread of COVID-19, indicates a video case study published online in the journal Thorax. ...

... A team of Australian researchers therefore compared the effectiveness of single and double-layer cloth face coverings (175 g/m² cotton fabric, with a thread count of 170/ inch) with a 3-ply surgical face mask (Bao Thach) at reducing droplet spread. ...

... The researchers used a tailored LED lighting system and a high-speed camera to film the dispersal of airborne droplets produced by a healthy person with no respiratory infection, during speaking, coughing, and sneezing while wearing each type of mask.

The video recording showed that the 3-ply surgical face mask was the most effective at reducing airborne droplet dispersal, although even a single layer cloth face covering reduced the droplet spread from speaking.

But a double layer covering was better than a single layer in reducing the droplet spread from coughing and sneezing, the recording showed. ...

... based on their observations, a home made cloth mask with at least two layers is preferable to a single layer mask, they say, adding: "Guidelines on home-made cloth masks should stipulate multiple layers." ...

If Your Mask Doesn't Have Two of These, It's Not Working, Study Says

In the absence of medical grade personal protective equipment (PPE), many of us have turned to homemade cloth masks to help stop the spread of coronavirus. But increasingly, research has shown that not all masks are created equal, and some are downright ineffective. A new video case study produced by Australian researchers shows that in order for a homemade cloth mask to stop viral transmission, it needs to have at least two layers of fabric. In effect, if your mask has just one layer of fabric, you can safely bet that it simply doesn't work. ...

Watch Bill Nye Test Which Face Masks Work the Best
THE SCIENCE GUY IS HERE TO, ONCE AGAIN, EXPLAIN A CONCEPT WITH AN EXPERIMENT YOU CAN DO AT HOME.

... Next, Nye uses a homemade, double-layer cotton face mask with a pipe cleaner insert that allows it to fit snugly over the bridge of the nose. Blowing as hard as he can, just inches from the flame, the scientist is unable to blow it out. ...

[Griff]

My buddies Mom, a right wing nut herself, got into an altercation with a truck load of mask-resistors at an Ice Cream shop. I guess it's big news on FB because these guys are fighting oppression. Strange times.

[glatt]

The fit and breathability of the mask are just as important as the filtration. Possibly more important.

If the fabric weave of the mask is too tight, with a really high thread count, or too many layers, it just acts as a diverter to funnel your breath out the sides and around your nose. Nothing gets filtered.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Griff

... because these guys are fighting oppression. Strange times.

Nothing new. Nazis in 1930 Germany were also fighting this same oppression.

Did they have strawmen in the 1930s?

[sexobon]

Originally Posted by glatt

The fit and breathability of the mask are just as important as the filtration. Possibly more important.

If the fabric weave of the mask is too tight, with a really high thread count, or too many layers, it just acts as a diverter to funnel your breath out the sides and around your nose. Nothing gets filtered.

From the first article I linked:

... The single layer covering was made from a folded piece of cotton T shirt and hair ties; the double layer covering was made using the sew method, as set out by CDC: ...

Seems like they were looking at expendable clothing as a common denominator.

... This is just one case, added to which several other factors contribute to the effectiveness of cloth face masks, note the researchers. These include the type of material used, design and fit, as well as the frequency of washing. ...

You left out frequency of washing.