Thread by @SafaMote

Thread: Wearing masks is our best defense against the #coronavirus.

@WhiteHouse press secretary said today that masks are no longer required in West Wing. Many tweets also advise against masks.

Result: Colossal failure of the US #COVID response.

thehill.com/homenews/admin…

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An example of anti-mask rhetoric can be seen in the video below by a Mr. Huff. I will explain why everything that he says here is scientifically incorrect and a danger to public health. (I do not know Mr. Huff or his motivations.)



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I am not comparing the US to the several dozen countries that have mostly controlled this epidemic, e.g., #Taiwan, #Iceland, #SouthKorea, #Japan, #Thailand, #NewZealand, #Australia, #Austria, #Switzerland, #Greece, #Norway, etc. Some of them never even had to lock down.

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Compare the #US to the major #EU countries that were late in their response.

#Italy, #Germany, & #France have reached below 500 daily #COVID cases; #Spain at ~500; #Netherlands & #Belgium below 200.

#UK, the worst in EU, at ~1200.

#US is still above 20,000 & ACCELERATING.

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Many EU countries are under 50 daily cases: #Austria, #Switzerland, #Denmark, #Norway, #Finland, #Greece, #Ireland, etc.

And many are under 10: #Estonia, #Slovakia, #Luxembourg, #Slovenia, #Croatia, #Malta, #Latvia, #Cyprus.

#Iceland eradicated #COVID by early action.

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The whole idea behind wearing masks universally is BREAKING THE CHAIN OF TRANSMISSION of the #coronavirus.

It is easy to not EMIT the virus. But once the virus is in the air, especially in a closed environment, it would be very difficult to not inhale & contract it.

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Many studies have shown widespread transmission of the #coronavirus by

A) True Asymptomatic
B) Pre-symptomatic
C) Mildly symptomatic

carriers.

Therefore, all of us should consider ourselves potential carriers of the virus.

https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1265715915863154688?s=20

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This means everyone should wear a surgical or cloth mask when inside public spaces, and when near others outdoors (crowds).

Also, it is very important to wear these masks PROPERLY —fit to face, from above the nose to under the chin— and AT ALL TIMES.

https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1271311997708034048?s=20

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Brownian motion, responsible for the transmission of the #coronavirus in the air, is a very well understood process in the physics of fluids. It was first observed in 1784–85 by Dutch biologist Jan Ingenhousz. It was observed again in 1827 by Scottish botanist Robert Brown.

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@AlbertEinstein wrote a paper in 1905, his "miracle year", that elegantly describes the theory of Brownian motion. I discuss this in the thread below:

https://twitter.com/SafaMote/status/1251198719879503873?s=20

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Here is a great video from @NIST @NIH that visualizes airflow from mouth and nose when breathing or coughing, with and without masks.

Note the INEFFECTIVENESS of masks when not worn properly, i.e., when not covering the nose (or mouth).



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And here is a longer (6 min), but absolutely worth watching video about Brownian motion by @NHKWORLD_News:



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And here is a simulation made by @washingtonpost that visualizes the spread of viral particles inside an airplane:



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Masks do neither take away our freedom nor shut down our economy.

Masks stop the transmission of the virus. So, masks will bring back our freedom and help us reopen the economy sooner rather than later. Masks will help us join dozens of countries that have defeated #COVID.

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People in #Taiwan, #Japan, #SouthKorea have been wearing masks since early January 2020. As a result, they never even had to impose long, nationwide lockdowns. Everyone kept their freedom, and their economies remained open.

And thousands of lives were saved.

⬇️ per Capita.

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The #coronavirus is not a political or ideological matter.

Wearing a mask does not reflect our "fear" of the virus.

On the contrary, it shows we understand:

A) this virus;
B) how to protect ourselves & others against it;
C) how to defeat it.

https://twitter.com/SafaMote/status/1256420280681091072?s=20

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Finally, let's remember Japan's 3 C's Rule to prevent formation of clusters, and to win the war against #COVID.

As much as possible, avoid:

C1) Closed public spaces;
C2) Crowded places;
C3) Close-contact settings.

Credit for the plots to @ft @jburnmurdoch.

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