Worry Proofing from Behind a Mask
Hi all… I have decided to try to throw together a list every few days with the best COVID-related info I have stumbled across – feel free to forward/share with anyone you like. Some are articles about the virus, others about its spread. Some are about collateral damage and others about how communities are pulling together. Many of these links have been forwarded to me by friends, so big thanks to everyone and please keep passing along good content. If you want to check out past coronavirus posts, click here . And despite how stifling it may feel, thanks for staying home and washing your hands like crazy!
To mask or not to mask, that is the question. Like everything else during this pandemic, when I educate myself enough, I tend to shift my opinions. So while I wasn’t the one donning a mask and gloves to the market last week, I will be covering my nose and mouth going forward thanks to a bunch of data and videos like this one.
Even the CDC is starting to change its tune, thanks to new data that suggests a quarter of all people have no symptoms of their coronavirus, so they may be spreading the virus unknowingly. It’s especially important to have your teen and 20-something kids read articles about asymptomatic spread, because lack of information here combined with a developmentally normal desire to socialize and sense of invincibility has led many of them to not follow social distancing guidelines.
Back to masks, I am starting a bra company for tween and teen girls. We were on the cusp of launching into production when the country shut down. I wish we were already up and running, because there’s no question I would have converted bra manufacturing to mask production like many others are doing across the globe. Instead, I am learning to sew (daily lessons from my 16-year old!) and trying to make something that resembles this.
Meanwhile, a couple of days ago the FDA approved a mask sterilization system that allows medical-grade masks to be reused up to 20 times. The Columbus, Ohio based company Battelle has been authorized to decontaminate N95 masks using “vapor phase hydrogen peroxide” and its machine can sterilize up to 80,000 masks per day.
On a related note, protective gear in general sits at the center of a giant bidding war. I have been hearing about this for days, both from my friends on the hospital administrative front lines and others who are trying to raise funds to privately purchase protective gear to donate to local hospitals.
One last item today that has nothing to do with masks. We’ve gotten into word searches in my house…
