Cloth masks make things WORSE!

[Leongsam]

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers
Pollack MP, Pringle C, Madoff LC, Memish ZA

40-50 minutes


This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.

Abstract

Objective
The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of cloth masks to medical masks in hospital healthcare workers (HCWs). The null hypothesis is that there is no difference between medical masks and cloth masks.

Setting
14 secondary-level/tertiary-level hospitals in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Participants
1607 hospital HCWs aged ≥18 years working full-time in selected high-risk wards.

Intervention
Hospital wards were randomised to: medical masks, cloth masks or a control group (usual practice, which included mask wearing). Participants used the mask on every shift for 4 consecutive weeks.

Main outcome measure
Clinical respiratory illness (CRI), influenza-like illness (ILI) and laboratory-confirmed respiratory virus infection.

Results
The rates of all infection outcomes were highest in the cloth mask arm, with the rate of ILI statistically significantly higher in the cloth mask arm (relative risk (RR)=13.00, 95% CI 1.69 to 100.07) compared with the medical mask arm. Cloth masks also had significantly higher rates of ILI compared with the control arm. An analysis by mask use showed ILI (RR=6.64, 95% CI 1.45 to 28.65) and laboratory-confirmed virus (RR=1.72, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.94) were significantly higher in the cloth masks group compared with the medical masks group. Penetration of cloth masks by particles was almost 97% and medical masks 44%.

Conclusions
This study is the first RCT of cloth masks, and the results caution against the use of cloth masks. This is an important finding to inform occupational health and safety. Moisture retention, reuse of cloth masks and poor filtration may result in increased risk of infection. Further research is needed to inform the widespread use of cloth masks globally. However, as a precautionary measure, cloth masks should not be recommended for HCWs, particularly in high-risk situations, and guidelines need to be updated.

Trial registration number
Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12610000887077.

 

[zhihau]

Pearls cast before swines...

 

[CharKuayTeow]

Well yes, you need to use non-woven fabrics, according to the inventor of the N95 mask: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/07/07/peter-tsai-n95-mask-covid/

In the absence of N95 masks, he says you should use non-woven towels like the kind used in car shops.

 

[eatshitndie]

they are like panties strung on bamboo poles along hdb corridors. need to wash with detergent and hang under the sun to sanitize and dry.

 

[pvtpublic]

thanks for highlighting the incompetency of the 4G covid response team and useless cloth masks from Temasek foundation in support of the incompetent team. what a waste of the money from our reserves.

 

[PretenderSam]

Cloth masks make things WORSE!

leong-fuck-sam cheebye mouth itcht again ?? go suck amdk penis or lick a black cunt.
but your cheebye mouth is worse than that !

 

[LaoTze]

thanks for highlighting the incompetency of the 4G covid response team and useless cloth masks from Temasek foundation in support of the incompetent team. what a waste of the money from our reserves.

 

[laksaboy]

Wearing a mask is for not getting fined in the 'fine country'. Whether or not it protects you is irrelevant.

If one is so kiasi, he/she should avoid contact with every other person.

And don't forget to scan SafeEntry, so the PAP technocrats feel like they're doing something valuable, and those Govtech folks maintain their self-esteem.

 

[glockman]

Seriously?! Fuck! I just ordered these online.

 

[nayr69sg]

Situation for healthcare workers using masks is different from normal public lah.

The stupid media is very bad at this. All sensationalising never explain.

healthcare workers who work in areas where there is likely to be covid 19 patients will be exposed to the virus for the whole day. They need N95 masks

For normal public the situation is different.

 

[CharKuayTeow]

And don't forget to scan SafeEntry, so the PAP technocrats feel like they're doing something valuable, and those Govtech folks maintain their self-esteem.

No lah, it’s to let Li Hongyi be a Star, so can qualify to be miniStar, then become PM Lee III.