Face masks are in the news again today. The Daily Mail has an article about a professor who coughs onto culture dishes whilst wearing various face masks, ranging from ones made from old shirts through to medical grade masks. The professor then counts the number of cultures in the dish after 48 hours and tell the reader which is the best mask.
The professor has discovered that masks with a valve are the worst performing in terms of spreading the disease. This is because the one way valve allows unfiltered air out into the atmosphere. No $hit, really? This professor has discovered that a one way valve allows air to flow in one direction only. When is this remarkable finding going to be published in a research paper? This very subject was discussed in here months ago and I think it was me who raised it.
I think the mask subject is being considered the wrong way around. It’s looked at as a measure for the wearer to protect other people around them. People clearly don’t give a ****. They either don’t wear them (under 35s) or they wear them as a jaw support to stop their mouth dropping open and insects going in (over 60s).
I have adopted the look after number one approach and **** everyone else. With this in mind, we could do with the professors now telling us which masks are best at stopping virus particles entering our bodies via the mouth or nose. My opinion is a tight fitting semi rigid fibre type mask, preferably with a valve for my own comfort. FFP3 or similar and this is what I’ve been using since March. But I’m not a professor, I’m just Barry Shittpeas.