Masks And Social Distancing Help Curb Virus, But Scientists Say Don’t Forget To Wash Your Hands
The report also found that eye gear can help as well, but that no single thing is the perfect solution. Meanwhile, a study reiterates the importance of health care professionals wearing N95s instead of just surgical masks. Other news on protective face coverings focuses on the challenges of kids wearing masks and state leaders' efforts to secure protective gear.
The Associated Press:
Masks And Social Distancing Work, New Analysis Finds
Masks and social distancing can help control the coronavirus but hand washing and other measures are still needed, a new analysis finds. Researchers concluded single-layer cloth masks are less effective than surgical masks, while tight-fitting N95 masks provide the best protection. A distance of 1 meter (more than 3 feet) between people lowers the danger of catching the virus, while 2 meters (about 6 1/2 feet) is even better. (Johnson, 6/1)
Reuters:
Distancing And Masks Cut COVID-19 Risk, Says Largest Review Of Evidence
“Our findings are the first to synthesise all direct information on COVID-19, SARS, and MERS, and provide the currently best available evidence on the optimum use of these common and simple interventions to help ‘flatten the curve’”, said Holger Schünemann from McMaster University in Canada, who co-led the research. Current evidence suggests COVID-19 is most commonly spread by droplets, especially when people cough, and infects by entering through the eyes, nose and mouth, either directly or via contaminated surfaces. (Kelland, 6/1)
NBC News:
As Protests Sweep Nation, Research Finds Social Distancing Most Effective At Slowing Coronavirus Spread
Schünemann and his colleagues reviewed and analyzed 172 studies to assess how well infection control measures have worked to control COVID-19, as well as two other coronaviruses, SARS and MERS. They found that staying at least 3 feet away from others cut the risk of transmission to 2.6 percent, down from 12.8 percent, among those in closer physical contact. The study authors added that distances of 6 feet could be even more effective. (Edwards, 6/1)
The New York Times:
Medical Workers Should Use Respirator Masks, Not Surgical Masks
A new analysis of 172 studies, funded by the World Health Organization, confirms what scientists have said for months: N95 and other respirator masks are far superior to surgical or cloth masks in protecting essential medical workers against the coronavirus. The results, published on Monday in The Lancet, make it clear that the W.H.O. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should recommend that essential workers like nurses and emergency responders wear N95 masks, not just surgical masks, experts said. (Mandavilli, 6/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
Why Are N95 Masks So Important?
N95 masks are so called because they are a U.S. standard that requires masks to be able to filter out at least 95% of very small particles, including droplets containing the coronavirus. They are typically worn by medical workers as well as employees at factories working with paint or industrial chemicals, for instance. Surgical masks and simpler cloth masks, by comparison, are largely intended to prevent the wearer from spreading germs and are simpler to put on and wear. Surgical masks don’t create as tight a seal to the face as N95 masks. (Hufford, 6/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
Warnings Surface About New System To Disinfect N95 Masks
Hundreds of thousands of respirator masks to protect against coronavirus have been sent through a decontamination system that has triggered warnings from front-line workers and has so far cost the government more than $110 a mask. The system is made by Battelle Memorial Institute, a nonprofit research corporation that has built more than 50 mask-decontamination units after getting more than $400 million in federal government contracts. Battelle said its process allows for N95 respirator masks to be reused 20 times. (Hufford, Levy and Grimaldi, 6/1)
The Washington Post:
Getting Kids To Wear Masks Is Hard Work For Parents, Teachers
The preschool teacher panned her iPhone camera over two bowls of water, set side-by-side and dusted with thick piles of pepper. As her students watched on Zoom, Jennifer Cross coughed into the first bowl, sending black flakes flying. Then she stretched an orange mask, patterned with swirls, over her mouth and coughed into the second. No movement, she pointed out, adding that the pepper flakes are just like germs. (Natanson, 6/1)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Gavin Newsom’s Nearly $1 Billion Mask Deal: Company Misses Safety Review Deadline
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s medical mask deal with a Chinese manufacturer could be canceled after the company failed to obtain a federal safety certification. Sunday was the deadline for supplier BYD to secure safety certification for its N95 particulate-filtering respirators. But it did not meet that deadline, which had been extended after federal officials denied the company’s previous application. (Gardiner, 6/1)
The New York Times:
New Regulator Warns Health Measures, Like Masks, May Hurt Banks
The new head of a powerful banking regulator is not letting his first full week on the job pass quietly, warning that measures meant to contain the spread of the coronavirus — including mandates for the use of masks in public — could endanger the financial system. Brian P. Brooks took over on Friday as the acting head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the federal agency that oversees the country’s largest banks. Mr. Brooks, a former banker, sent letters to the country’s mayors and governors about the negative effects of restrictions on public activity. Among them, he said: Face masks could lead to more bank robberies. (Flitter, 6/1)
