The Patrol Method
Lessons and questions of Scout leadership and operating troop program
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LATEST POSTS
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Views differ. - and change. I am nothing like an epidemiologist. If the Battelle fast sanitizer works and can be mass produced, mask shortages may be a thing of the past. https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/29/21198715/fda-approves-battelles-decontaminate-n95-face-masks-coronavirus The consensus may be incorrect, but it's out there: "COVID-19 can cause a number of symptoms that may appear several days after exposure. The most common symptoms are cough, fever and shortness of breath. The virus is primarily spread by respiratory droplets transmitted via close contact (within 6 feet) with an infected person, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Respiratory droplets are produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The increase in the general public buying surgical face masks has resulted in mask shortages for some health care workers. So should you wear a face mask to protect yourself from the virus, even if you're not sick? "The current recommendations regarding masks are that if you yourself are sick with fever and cough, you can wear a surgical mask to prevent transmission to other people. If you are healthy, there is not thought to be any additional benefit to wearing a mask yourself because the mask is not airtight and does not necessarily prevent breathing in of these viral particles, which are very tiny," says Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases specialist." https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/covid-19-when-should-you-wear-a-face-mask/ How can I best protect myself? Practice the following: Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 15-20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Avoid close contact (within 6 feet) with people who are sick. Stay home when you are sick. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. Standard household cleansers and wipes are effective in cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces. It’s currently flu and respiratory disease season and CDC recommends getting vaccinated, taking everyday preventive actions to stop the spread of germs, and taking flu antivirals if prescribed. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/landing/preparing-for-coronavirus A Surgical Mask Won’t Help People Who Aren't Sick For someone who is not sick, wearing a surgical mask will not be effective against the coronavirus because the main route of transmission at this time appears to be airborne. What happens is that when someone coughs or sneezes into the air, large and small droplets are formed. The larger, heavy droplets fall to the ground but smaller droplets might stay in the air for a few seconds or minutes. If someone breaths in these small droplets, they could become ill. This does still require fairly close contact -- you have to be within 3 feet usually -- but because the droplets that stay suspended in the air are so small, they can easily pass through the pores of the mask. In addition, as you breathe through the mask and it becomes damp, it becomes less and less useful. That is why wearing a mask out in public isn’t going to help. It is much more likely that hugging a friend or eating lunch with your neighbor would give you the kind of close contact you need to transmit the virus. N95 Masks The second type of mask is an N95 mask. This one has small enough pores that it does block infectious material from coming through. However, these masks must be properly fit-tested to your face to be effective. Medical professionals who use these generally have to do a yearly fit testing. If you do not have this mask properly fit-tested, then it likely won’t fit correctly. As a result, the mask will be completely useless because even the smallest gap between the mask and your face will allow the virus to pass through. In addition, N95 masks are extremely uncomfortable and difficult to wear for long periods of time. https://www.uhhospitals.org/Healthy-at-UH/articles/2020/03/what-you-need-to-know-about-masks-and-coronavirus According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a typical surgical mask doesn't provide the wearer with a reliable level of protection from inhaling smaller airborne particles, and it's not considered respiratory protection. So who should use surgical masks? "The role of facemasks is for patient source control, to prevent contamination of the surrounding area when a person coughs or sneezes," the CDC reports. "Patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 should wear a facemask until they are isolated in a hospital or at home. The patient does not need to wear a facemask while isolated." In other words, they're worth wearing if you're already showing symptoms or have been diagnosed with an illness and you want to avoid getting others sick. But regular surgical masks aren't very effective at keeping healthy people from inhaling small particles (because they don't provide a perfect seal on the face). Another type of mask, an N95 respirator, provides a better seal and is about 95% effective at filtering out both large and small particles. These are the masks that are sorely needed among health care providers during an outbreak. "A surgical N95 (also referred as a medical respirator) is recommended only for use by health care personnel who need protection from both airborne and fluid hazards (e.g., splashes, sprays)," the CDC reports. "These respirators are not used or needed outside of health care settings. In times of shortage, only health care personnel who are working in a sterile field or who may be exposed to high velocity splashes, sprays or splatters of blood or body fluids should wear these respirators, such as in operative or procedural settings." Protecting the people caring for patients is vital to preventing the spread of coronavirus. https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/blog/surgical-masks If you develop a fever or other symptoms, isolate yourself immediately from healthy cohabitants — preferably in a separate room with access to a bathroom that you and you alone will be using for the duration of the illness. If you [with symptoms] must leave the isolation area, it may be acceptable to wear a surgical mask. Wash your hands thoroughly and ensure that surfaces you come in contact with are properly cleaned and sanitized. Return to your room as soon as possible; avoid prolonged interaction (this goes for would-be caregivers as well). Dr. David R. Price, a critical care intensivist at New York City's Weill Cornell Medical Center -
By InquisitiveScouter · Posted
Yes, they had lots of other volunteers...and later our county was one of the first locked down in the state, and now has the third highest number of cases in the state. My line in the sand was the CDC guidelines. They were there for a reason... -
By mashmaster · Posted
Frankly, I am happy it didn't work out. This is pretty scary stuff. -
By InquisitiveScouter · Posted
Early on, but before the stay at home order, our local hospital asked for community volunteers to set up a large tent (an outdoor event-type tent like those used for weddings, about 72' long) outside the hospital so they could screen patients there before concentrating them in the building. We put together two teams of ten, mixed Scouts and adults. We told the hospital we would work shifts of four hours, and that we wanted to adhere to CDC guidelines of groups no larger than ten, we would stay outside the hospital the whole time, bring our own food/water, use port-a-john, etc. The hospital said they thought it would require more than ten at a time to set it up, and they could not support our stipulations. So, we declined the opportunity. A few days later, our governor issued the stay at home order. -
This is what I was thinking since each state is handling it differently. We shall see!
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