A lot of speculation is going around about whether a mask is needed for the Coronavirus that has seemingly originated in Wuhan, China, along with a lot of conspiracy theories that are all over the web. What is the Coronavirus anyway?
For starters, from the little research that I have done, it is a pretty basic flu virus. Calling it the Wuhan Flu, just as the Spanish flu was named for supposedly originating in Spain and the Swine Flu from swine, would be more appropriate and I think less confusing for everyone.
Here is what Wiki has to say about the Coronavirus flu: The Coronaviruses were discovered in the 1960’s………The name "coronavirus" is derived from the Latin corona, meaning crown or halo, which refers to the characteristic appearance of the virus particles (virions): they have a fringe reminiscent of a royal crown or of the solar corona (Wikipedia, 2020).
Looking back to other flu scares, one is tempted to think that this is just another scare tactic to rattle one’s nerves, distract and make money, but of course we really won’t know until it has run its course. Furthermore, back over that past century, the Spanish Flu, from January 1918 – December 1920, was one of the most devastating viruses that infected over 500 million people. In that number it is estimated that 50 million died, making it one of the deadliest viruses on record. It took not only the very old and young, but healthy young adults were especially affected.
Critical thinking is what is needed right now to assess the situation, but truly, I just do not know what to think of all this, do you? I listen to both sides of the equation, that this virus will not amount to much or, that this could be one of Biblical proportions.
Personally, I would rather be on the safe side. I have sent my family the face masks as I want to be prepared. I shipped them both the non-vented and the vented.
The vented mask is ideal when you have to wear the mask for extended periods of time. This mask has a one way valve which allows the wearer to exhale with ease. It will filter the air coming in to protect the wearer, however, if the person wearing the mask happens to have the virus or some sort of flu bug, it would not protect those in their presence. For example, if you were to wear a mask to a hospital or nursing home, the vented mask would not protect the patients or residents, only yourself. Ideally in that situation, you want to wear the non-vented mask if you suspect you could be contagious.
Are some masks better than others?
There are no tests that we are aware of to rate a mask for a virus, but this we know, the charcoal material that we use, which is impregnated with silver, is the same material that the US Military uses in uniforms to protect the soldiers from chemical and biological warfare. The only rating you can get on the mask is for dust particle size, of which our mask filters down to .1 micron.
When putting on the mask, it is important that you adjust it around your chin, to get a close fit. Once while wearing it in India to protect myself from fumes while riding in open air, three wheeled taxi, I was disappointed that the mask was letting in fumes. Someone then pointed out to me that I did not have it on correctly and helped me to adjust it on my chin. It did the trick and I could still breath and save my lungs from the noxious auto fumes.
Hopefully this flu will blow over sooner rather than later, but just in case it gets worse before it gets better, it seems wise to get yourself and your loved ones, a quality mask that you can trust, before you actually need it. Also, eating healthfully, getting lots of fluids, quality sleep and of course good personal hygiene, such as washing your hands frequently, will be a tremendous protection as well.
And how long are the face masks effective for? Our Charcoal House Face Mask last about 80 hours of wearing time. You can wash them, but only in water or with a little baking soda and nothing more, just hang to dry and when dry put back in the pouch it came in or a clean, tightly capped glass jar. To mask or not to mask? Erring on the side of caution would seem to be the safest bet.
Also, for a little piece of mind, these masks are made in the USA.
Kimberly February 4, 2020
Citation: Wikipedia contributors. "Coronavirus." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 5 Feb. 2020. Web. 6 Feb. 2020
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How can one order your masks and do you give samples?
Am in Africa ,Zambia.
Regards,
Sydney