COVID-19: Wearing Masks to Slow the Spread
By Tayna J. Fitts, M.D.
In an attempt to further slow the spread of COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Mississippi State Department of Health now recommend that individuals wear non-medical grade masks or homemade cloth masks when outside the home. This essential step is not meant to replace social distancing. Instead, it’s another necessary precaution that will help keep people from contracting the virus.
Recent studies have shown that individuals with COVID-19 are contagious up to five days before they even start running a fever. At the same time, some individuals have COVID-19 but never show symptoms but are still contagious. As these individuals breathe out, sneeze or cough, the virus becomes airborne. The next person breathing in that air is exposed to the viral particles and can become infected. While masks will not totally prevent the transmission of COVID-19, it will help to cut its spread significantly — and keep you from infecting someone without even knowing it.
It’s important to note that N95 masks are not needed while in public. These medical-grade masks are needed by the healthcare professionals fighting COVID-19 on the frontlines. Anyone with unused N95 masks should contact the Lafayette County Emergency Management Agency for instructions on how to distribute these masks to healthcare workers.
The good news is, you can make your own masks at home. Homemade masks should be made with one layer of cotton woven fabric and one layer of flannel. Most people are using quilter’s cotton. When making your masks, do not try to put in cut up air filters or use HEPA vacuum bag filters. These materials may contain fiberglass and will damage your lungs.
If you’re unsure where to start with making a mask, there are many tutorials out there that will walk you step-by-step through the process. Also, once your mask is made, it’s important to remember that they need to be laundered after each wear.
While this new precaution may seem extreme, it’s just one more step that will help us in this fight. We are all in this together — and we must all do our part to keep each other safe.
