Thread by @james00000001

Thread: One of the biggest failures of this pandemic has been the public education on facemasks.

My household has 14 paper bags with 14 comfortable well fitting P2 masks. This cost $121.50, to cover 12 months if the masks are used for 40 hours total, 8 hours per day. /1

So an entire family can be protected for a long time by buying a box of 50 P2 facemasks and cycling them each day, and $1.50 paper bags, for $121.50. Or a single person could just buy a pack of 10. /2

But the reason I'm raising awareness of this now, is because we currently have a dual pandemic of 2 highly infectious variants, but only 24% of Australians have completed their 3 doses of the vaccine. It means we need to use... /3

... the better quality masks to slow transmission as much as possible.

Secondly, people who are now covid positive, are starting to venture out. This was unthinkable before, but is now happening, because they think that covid is everywhere. /4

So if a covid19 positive person goes shopping, only wearing a cloth mask or a leaky medical mask, they are increasing the viral load of indoor spaces. If enough people do this, the transmission rate will likely go higher, only because they are wearing an inadequate mask. /5

Almost 2 years into an airborne pandemic, we should know that the best way to stop transmission is for everyone to wear good facemasks.

My household contact wore an AMD Aussie made P2 facemask to the hairdresser.... /6

... and 20 hours later she received a text saying that the hairdresser is symptomatic and covid positive. 4 days later confirmed RAT negative, and no symptoms, so the P2 almost certainly prevented transmission.
(P2 = N95) /7

I think the government should have done a lot better to communicate the proper use of facemasks, and provided many millions of them to the people who can't afford them.
But #ScottytheFailure and #Domicron showed a total misunderstanding, by removing mask mandates for a week /8

... just as Omicron was going exponential in NSW. Instead of keeping facemasks - an easy change to make on 15-Dec-2021 - LNP deliberately chose to let it rip, like a government sanctioned "Omicron party". /9 End of rant. #auspol #ScottyDoesNothing #Domicron #WearADamnMask #MaskUp

I.e. most people can afford a one off purchase for good quality facemasks. That's for a box of 50 of the best quality P2 facemasks made in Australia. There are cheaper ones. I bought KN95 single masks from Bunnings for 40c each. So a person on a budget could buy a few, and cycle.

P.S. this thread is just my opinion.

P.P.S. The paper bags are at Coles for $1.50 for a packet of 100 (or may have been $2.50 for the bigger ones?)

Paper bags method saves a lot of money, as well as the environment, and are less hassle than washing and drying a cloth mask. Dispose after 40 hours of use.

P2 N95 masks can't be washed (unless with special chemicals), and definitely can't be exposed to alcohol.

Reusing masks is optional, and more for the casual shopper than for professional workers. Workers using masks all day should be provided with fresh PPE by their employer every day.