“The masks are for your protection from covid19 transmitters.”
No, they aren’t. Even the CDC says that the masks are for everyone else’s protection from the wearer. There are plenty of studies that show cloth masks are ineffective against picking up an infection. Absent any supporting scientific data, it’s purely hypothetical that their use even prevents spreading covid (or any other virus).
As a pulmonary & critical care physician (who treats COVID-19 patients in an ICU setting) and pilot, the purpose of a non-N95 mask is to minimize transmission of the virus. It is not 100% perfect but it is 6-fold greater than no mask at all. This is not some musings of the media, but based on scientific data. Although the airline safety briefings state to remove one’s mask before placing an O2 mask in the event of depressurization, placing an O2 mask over one’s mask would provide adequate oxygenation. If you need to prove it to yourself, you can do so if you have an oxygen source in your plane and a pulse oximeter. Fly at 9000 ft MSL or higher and with your cloth/paper mask on, measure your O2 saturation with and without wearing your O2 mask.
I’m more concerned that the passenger oxygen source on commercial airlines might NOT be operational when needed (I’ve had that experience once).
The mask is intended to reduce the release of COVID19 virus from the infected individual to the susceptible uninfected contact. The mask reduces the expression of a significant amount of virus from the mouth and nose of the infected person The effectiveness in preventing the transmission from a person wearing a mask is limited but not insignificant.
But a mask is not particularly effective in protecting a susceptible, non-infected person from inhaling a sufficient dose of CORONA19 virus to protect against infection. Thus just wearing a mask is no assurance of personal protection.
In other words, you are a pilot standing at the door to the cockpit welcoming pax aboard. All of the passengers are wearing masks. Any infected passengers will be emitting virus but at a significantly reduced level. Your risk of being infected is consequently reduced regardless if you are or are not masked yourself.
If none of the infected passengers is wearing a mask, the “dose” of CORONA19 virus will be elevated as will be your risk of infection.
The real world test of this phenomenon has been in countries where masks have been widely used. There the incidence and prevalence and mortality has been reduced. Currently both the CDC in the US and the WHO recommend wearing masks in public. And the major air carriers in the US are ‘mandating’ them.
Exactly Yars. Funny how we were first told not to wear mask they only draw in bacteria and even the Surgeon General said we did not need them. When the entire thing started we were not required to wear a mask now 4 months later they are pushing it.
I still have yet to see solid data that actually shows masks reduce transmission rates to any significance. The countries that have had success in reducing covid are far more successful at all of the mitigation steps, so it’s hard to use that data to prove it was the masks that had any effect. And that’s the issue I have with mandatory mask usage: it’s simply unknown precisely what effect (if any) that they provide. And given that I find them very uncomfortable to wear for anything more than a handful of minutes, coupled with the fact that at least locally there are many who refuse to abide by even physical distancing, I choose not to wear the masks and avoid going most places. That includes flying commercially (or using any other form of public transportation).
But to point out again, the media was only repeating what the CDC and medical experts were saying at the time. First they were saying don’t wear masks, then they were saying do wear masks. In both cases, the media only repeated that messaging. The media certainly didn’t make it up. Let’s at least blame the message maker, not the message deliverer.
What data shows it to be a “6-fold” reduction?
I know for a fact that a 60-degree level turn will generate 2Gs of acceleration because one can work out the math easily enough, and there is a wealth of real-world test data that shows the calculation to be true. I haven’t seen equivalent data on non-N95 cloth mask usage.
Glad I am not the only one who figured that out!
Using established data of time of useful consciousness before hypoxia sets in for passengers unaware of the time to rip off their masks and don oxygen masks; 9-15 seconds@45k feet, 30-60 seconds@35k feet, 2.5-3 mins@28k feet. I presume a new normal of flight attendants adding "Rip off your mask immediately when the oxygen masks drop down from the overhead bin and… blah blah blah. I don’t know of new placards will be printed for passengers on commercial flights.
Those times are for people who would have training and actually react to the emergency. They don’t account for the “startle” effect of very loud wind noises and debris flying around, cabin clouding up due to moisture evaporation from loss of pressure, or sometimes what can be the painful effects of sudden pressure changes to ones ears. I can just imagine all the blood being thrown around the cabin from all those passengers who do manage to “rip” off their masks, tearing or removing their own ears, by the ear loops the hold most masks in place, in the process.
Of course if I had a well trimmed beard while piloting a jet the FAA would give me all kinds of grief due to Emer masks not “sealing” with a beard!
@Gary B, I think you misinterpreted Dan V’s words, so your “No, they aren’t.” is not correct. However, Dan V’s words are ambiguous and so easy to misinterpret. Dan V said, “The masks are for your protection from covid19 transmitters.” That can be interpreted as “the mask you wear is personal protection for you against covid19 transmitters”. I think the intended meaning is, “the policy of having everyone wear masks is for your protection by placing source control masks on everyone, including the covid19 transmitters, even unwitting presymptomatic covid19 transmitters.” And those who are expert on the subject are telling us that the policy of having everyone wear masks is sufficiently effective, worthwhile source control.
@YARS, your sweeping statement ‘The mainstream media … have no problem with “protest” rallies.’ is incorrect. There are plenty of mainstream media reports that both are a bad news for pandemic spread. You just don’t notice them.
Okay Gary. I yield to your contrarian position. Here is the most recent meta-analysis re masks that I can find- https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/86812
As I said in my first post, the mask is a weak intervention tool. None the less, it is effective. If it’s too much to ask that you err on the side of a potential intervention that carries a
negligible risk at minor cost and inconvenience, that’s a shame.
Given the magnitude of the pandemic in my country, even a very small reduction in the Ro is critical. You do the math. I’m out.
“I can just imagine all the blood being thrown around the cabin from all those passengers who do manage to “rip” off their masks, tearing or removing their own ears, by the ear loops the hold most masks in place, in the process.”
You’re being facetious, right? How are people attaching their masks? With superglue and skin grafts? In public I wear a cloth mask with elastic around the back of my head. When I don’t need it any more, it takes about a second to pull it down off my nose and mouth, where it sits around my neck looking like the top of an ascot. I tried the ear loop style and it wouldn’t stay on. My ears are too floppy and the ear loops just pull off over the ears.
Too bad they’re vastly outnumbered by the riot-cheerleader stories.
I just use a nail gun to fasten the mask to my nearly-solid skull. Works like a charm! 
Folks, just a reminder. Let’s keep the comments respectful and on point. Thanks.
The purpose of the the 02 mask is to give you more O2 with pressure and we are talking 25K plus where these masked are used. The ones we use in the cockpit say right on them will not seal with beards so I am pretty sure they won’t seal with a mask on.
I’m so confused… The narrative in the beginning was ““NEVER” “NEVER” Touch Your Face”. Now the narrative is “Rub The COVID-19 Infected Mask All Over Your Face”. Moving your jaw rubs the mask against your skin. Try wearing a mask without touching it and your face. So now, when you touch the COVID-19 infected item you’re very likely going to transfer it to and rub it into your face.
Search youtube “never touch your face”. I wonder what next months narrative will be???
N95 masks block out 95% of particulate matter, like dust! They do nothing against viruses, which are orders of magnitude smaller than the air passages in the masks!
Surgical masks prevent hair and skin cells from falling into the incision! They might slow down bacteria, but they do nothing against viruses!
All this is about is appearances! It just looks like you are doing something against Covid-19, when in fact you are doing nothing!
In fact masks force the wearer to breath-in their own carbon dioxide, and they reduce the amount of oxygen you are getting, thus negatively affecting your immune system! Too much CO2 can cause hypercapnia, and too little oxygen can cause hypoxia! Most pilots have heard of hypoxia, aka altitude sickness!
In some studies 80% of health workers wearing masks have reported frequent headaches!
These airlines are run by people who don’t really care about the science, nor the health of their passengers!