Welcome to AiArthritis Voices 360. This week join your patient co-hosts Danielle Dass and Kristen Ray as they discuss all things masks and COVID-19. What sorts of masks do healthcare providers need to keep themselves and their patients safe? What happens if hospitals run out of masks? Should people be wearing a mask when they leave their home during social distancing? Do cloth masks offer protection from the virus? Tune in for the answers to these questions and more as we seek to help you navigate this pandemic with our...
Welcome to AiArthritis Voices 360. This week join your patient co-hosts Danielle Dass and Kristen Ray as they discuss all things masks and COVID-19. What sorts of masks do healthcare providers need to keep themselves and their patients safe? What happens if hospitals run out of masks? Should people be wearing a mask when they leave their home during social distancing? Do cloth masks offer protection from the virus? Tune in for the answers to these questions and more as we seek to help you navigate this pandemic with our ongoing COVID-19 series.
If you are a patient, a parent of a juvenile patient, or any other stakeholder (doctor, nurse, researcher, industry representative, or other health services person) - are you ready to join the conversation? It's your turn to pull up a seat. Join our new AiArthritis Voices program, where people living with AiArthritis diseases and other stakeholders who we need 'at the table' to solve problems that impact education, advocacy, and research sign up to have a voice in our initiatives. By signing up, you’ll get notified of opportunities to be more involved with this show - including submitting post-episode comments and gaining insider information on future show topics. Patients and all other stakeholders are encouraged to join so we can match you with opportunities to pull up a seat and TOGETHER - as equals - solve the problems of today and tomorrow.
JOIN TODAY!
AiArthritis Voices 360 is produced by the International Foundation for Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Arthritis. Visit us on the web at www.aiarthritis.org/talkshow. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook (@ifAiArthritis) or email us (podcast@aiarthritis.org).
Show Notes: Episode 21 – “Prevention Focus: Masks”
00:52 - Danielle welcomes listeners and patient co-host Kristen to the show
01:38 - Kristen introduces herself
02:12 - Kristen is a patient living with ankylosing spondylitis
03:58 - Kristen is an ophthalmology nurse
04:11 - COVID-19 can be spread by touching your eyes, nose, or mouth
04:38 - Today’s topic will deal with masks and whether wearing a mask can help protect you from contracting COVID-19
04:57 - Neither AiArthritis nor the Spondylitis Association of America will be issuing an official recommendation on whether or not patients should wear masks. The episode will provide reliable information that listeners can use to make their own decision regarding their own personal safety
06:27 - PPE refers to protective clothing like helmets, goggles, gloves, masks, etc that are designed to protect healthcare providers from infection or injury
08:09 - Everything has changed in terms of how HCPs see patients and use PPE
09:06 - Kristen’s office is only seeing emergency patients
09:10 - The amount of PPE gear needed to see patients has dramatically increased even though the patient load has been restricted to just emergencies
11:59 - Healthcare provider needs for PPE have increased, resulting in a global shortage of available gear
12:49 - Smaller hospitals in the US may not have the money to purchase more PPE because most of their income is derived from elective surgeries which have all been suspended
14:40 - Surgical masks are designed to create a physical barrier between the wearer and patients
15:13 - The N95 respirator mask creates a seal and then filters airborne particles so that the wearer is not breathing in any viral particles
16:25 - Neither surgical masks nor N95 respirator masks are intended to be reused
17:13 - People wearing N95 masks who have not been trained to use them will not be protected from COVID-19 with the same efficacy as a healthcare provider who has been trained to use them
17:43 - N95 respirator masks only filter 95% of viral particles when used correctly. With common usage, they are not significantly more effective than surgical or cloth masks.
19:58 - Never touch your face while wearing a mask
20:06 - Tie back hair so that you are not tempted to brush it out of your face
20:16 - Use medical tape to seal edges on the bridge of the nose and along the sides of the nose
21:19 - When putting on your mask, hold it by the straps or loops as far as possible from the piece that covers your face
21:30 - Position the mask along the bridge of the nose first, position it under your chin, and then fasten the attachments
21:42 - Do not touch the square portion of the mask that covers your face
21:53 - To remove the mask, repeat this procedure and again avoid touching the square portion of the mask
22:25 - Wash cloth masks immediately after every use
22:30 - DO NOT remove your mask after leaving a store, allow it to drape around your neck, or place it in your bag or purse as the masks may be covered with viral particles
23:08 - Wash hands before and after putting on or removing a mask
23:19 - Wearing a mask and using it improperly may put the wearer at more risk of contracting COVID-19 than not wearing it at all
24:32 - Kristen explains the 6 options the CDC recommends for hospitals who do not have enough masks for their healthcare providers
27:56 - Using cloth masks is the absolute last resort recommended by the CDC because cloth masks are not considered effective PPE and their ability to protect HCPs is unknown
32:01 - The CDC has started to recommend that members of the American public wear cloth masks when outside of their homes
32:16 - Up to 25% of the people who are spreading the COVID-19 virus are asymptomatic
32:55 - Cloth mask wearing in public has become very common in parts of Asia since the 2003 SARS epidemic
33:56 - Community-wide wearing of masks protects the community because cloth masks are effective at preventing the spread of the virus when worn by the infected person
35:50 - A 2015 study found that cloth masks only blocked 3% of viral particles
36:29 - Some studies performed recently found that cloth masks could block as much as 60% of viral particles, but the design of the experiment raises questions about whether that means cloth masks will protect the wearer from COVID-19
37:38 - Individuals must continue to take all previous precautions (social distancing, hand washing, etc) even when wearing a cloth mask
39:10 - Some rudimentary cloth masks can be fashioned out of a bandana and some hair ties
39:22 - Some homemade cloth masks include filters made out of vacuum cleaner bags, air filters, or even panty liners
40:00 - Never touch the square portion of the mask when putting it on or taking it off, and make sure to wash your hands before and after touching the mask
40:07 - Frequent hand washing is still the best way to protect yourself from COVID-19
41:13 - If you are going to wear a mask, you still need to clean all the surface areas around you because the mask does not provide 100% protection from the virus
41:38 - Wear your mask until you return to your house and can put it directly into the washing machine
43:22 - Cloth masks can pose a health risk to immunocompromised wearers
47:10 - If you want to donate homemade masks to healthcare providers, contact your personal physician’s office and ask if they are accepting them.
48:20 - Local police departments and grocery delivery workers may also be accepting donations of homemade masks
49:03 - Danielle invites listeners to join our new Facebook group @IFAiArthritis to learn more about this and other topics
49:17 - Private comments may be directed to AiArthritis via FB, Twitter, or Instagram message @IFAiArthritis or emailed to podcast@aiarthritis.org
49:31- Find this and all our episodes at www.aiarthritis.org/podcast, or visit www.aiarthritis.org/covid19 for all our COVID-19 related resources
