Why you should make your own mask to stop the Coronavirus: A Primer on Droplet Transmission, Face Masks and Coronavirus
Bottom Line: You can wear a home-made face mask (not the kind your doctor needs) when you go out for groceries, appointments or essential work. In addition to social distancing, wearing a mask will reduce the spread of coronavirus/COVID-19 and prevent the deaths of thousands.
We make droplets that spread disease when we cough or sneeze. My team at UCLA has shown that “droplet transmission” even happens when a surgeon is only talking during procedures, and that it leads to serious eye infections. We have learned that a simple barrier in front of the mouth will help reduce droplet transmission. Even face masks you can make at home are very good at preventing this problem.
Here are three ways to make your own mask at home, depending on how much time you have:
One minute mask with paper towel, rubber bands and stapler: https://youtu.be/cZGU2vWHKC8
Simple cloth mask, some sewing required: https://youtu.be/RRofKRr5_JM
If you have time and want it looking nicer: https://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Cloth-Face-Mask/
What is a “droplet”?
A droplet, aka respiratory droplet, is a tiny drop of moisture that comes out of your mouth when breathing, talking, sneezing or coughing. The droplets contain whatever microbes (viruses) are in your respiratory fluids or saliva (“spit”).
What is “transmission”?
The term transmission is used to describe the transfer of microbes (viruses) from one place (person) to another place (or person), think: hand to doorknob. Direct transmission is when a droplet from one person lands on a mucosal surface (mouth, nose, conjunctiva of eye) of another person. For example, this could occur when one person coughs on another.
What is “indirect transmission”?
Indirect transmission occurs when a viruses end up on a surfaces through touch or droplets, and then someone touches that same surface, and then in turn touches their mouth, nose or eyes. Objects that are contaminated are referred to as “fomites.” Door knobs are a common object causing indirect transmission. They are essentially intermediate “hosts” or “waiting areas” for disease causing microbes to sit and wait to be picked up and transferred to somewhere they can cause a lot of trouble (i.e. another person).
How does this relate to the coronavirus/COVID-19?
The coronavirus/COVID-19 is transmitted by respiratory droplets. It infects the lining of the respiratory system (mouth, throat, lungs) and the conjunctiva (eye surface). This means that there are a lot of virus particles (viruses) in respiratory fluids. One study from Hong Kong found 100 million viruses in 1 milliliter of fluid (a milliliter is a little more than a drop of water in volume). Another study found that the virus survives on “fomites” for a long time. On cardboard about 1 day, on smooth surfaces (stainless steel, glass, plastic) at 3 days, possibly longer.
What might be a good strategy to prevent droplet transmission?
You can prevent droplets from contaminating the surrounding people or things you wear some kind of a nose and mouth covering or face mask. Surgical face masks serve that purpose. But any face mask (even a home made one) will reduce droplets getting out. Even a cotton cloth, bandana, or paper towel will catch at least some, if not most, of the droplets. Remember, you should not use a surgical face mask becasue they are in short supply and healthcare workers need them.
What might be the best way to stop spreading the disease?
If everyone wore a face mask when they are outside of their home, they would protect everyone else around them from their droplets. Should they be infected with coronavirus/COVID-19, they would minimize the risks of those around them. They would prevent direct transmission and minimize the creation of fomites by droplets. But they might still touch their mouth and touch things which could still create fomites.
Will a face mask protect me?
A surgical face mask is designed to catch the droplets of the person wearing it. They are not designed to trap the droplets you might inhale. So, they would offer only a minimal to moderate level of protection from droplet transmission to the person wearing it. An “N95” mask is designed to trap 95% of particles that are 0.3 microns or larger. They effectively block all droplet transmission, and therefore, protect the person wearing it. An N95 mask is not as necessary if everyone is wearing a facemask, as there will be only very few infective droplets in the air. In a health care setting, N95 masks are crucial to protect the healthcare workers at the frontlines, because the patients that are ill with coronavirus/COVID-19 are coughing, and not wearing a face mask when they are getting treatment.
What if I feel healthy? Why should I wear a mask?
You can start spreading the coronavirus long before you have symptoms, and some people never get symptoms even if they have the infection. The coronavirus can take 2–10 days to cause symptoms, and researches have shown that even when you have no symptoms you can be spreading millions of viruses. So, if you always wear a mask, you will not unknowingly spread the virus should you be infected before or without symptoms.
Anything important about face masks I should know?
Please remember that the droplets stopped by the face mask, remain stuck to the material. Because of this, the outside of the face mask may contain many virus particles. So, do not to touch the outside surface. If you do, wash your hands thoroughly. After you are done wearing the face mask, toss it immediately into the trash, or, if it is cloth mask, put it straight in the washing machine or a bowl of soap water or bleach water for sanitizing.
What if I don’t like the way masks look? Won’t people be scared or think I’m sick?
If you start wearting a mask, and everyone else, too, then it will be the new normal. It won’t look weird, and no one will stare at you.
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