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What are the chances of being exposed/infected in public if...

D

Desolation_anonymous

Well-known member
You are standing 1 foot away from someone with the flu, who is coughing and wearing a mask (albeit incorrectly- too loose).

This happened yesterday at the Pharmacy. know it was the flu because I saw he got a tamiflu scrip. Must have been a really bad case for a Kaiser doc to actually give it to themmm
 
Re: What are the chances of being exposed/infected in public if...

If it's not a N95+ mask, the mask would not have been effective at all.

Also, if you didn't clean your hands after the visit, you might have a good chance of getting it.

I am carrying a baby-wipe (wet towel) with me all the time when I handle
doors and other public surfaces.

Edit: the chance of infection through your hands is much higher than getting it through the air.
They studied that with common cold. However, if you stand very close to a coughing person,
I am not sure if that's still true.

Edit: Buy your N95 masks before everybody wants them in september.
They are sold in hardware stores, usually close to sanding machines.
 
Re: What are the chances of being exposed/infected in public if...

I noticed that a lot of the bathroom doors where I work are these big HEAVY wooden doors with ball-shaped doorknobs that you HAVE to completely wrap your hand around and turn in order to get out. What kind of senseless design is that? Not only that, but I noticed the VERY SAME type of door at our *Health Department* yesterday. Do you think I should say something or would I just be seen as being completely ridiculous?
 
Re: What are the chances of being exposed/infected in public if...

somebodyoutthere said:
I noticed that a lot of the bathroom doors where I work are these big HEAVY wooden doors with ball-shaped doorknobs that you HAVE to completely wrap your hand around and turn in order to get out. What kind of senseless design is that? Not only that, but I noticed the VERY SAME type of door at our *Health Department* yesterday. Do you think I should say something or would I just be seen as being completely ridiculous?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately right now people wouldn't listen and would think you're being hypochondriacal.

Wash hands very often. If there seem to be sick people in your building, you can always buy disposable nitrile or latex gloves.
 
Re: What are the chances of being exposed/infected in public if...

I would want to check with a medical person about which type of N-95 mask to get.
I believe one wants the surgical quality N-95's, which may well be different than the construction/sanding grade N-95's. Perhaps one of the docs or RN's would like to comment on this. Or one can research mask specifications on one of the manufacturer sites.
 
Re: What are the chances of being exposed/infected in public if...

N95 IS a specification and what you want to protect youself.
To protect OTHERS, any "surgical" mask or bandana, even, will work to suppress spray of droplets at current infective rate of pandemic flu. If infective rate significantly increases, i.e. it goes "airborne", a N95 will be better than a surgical mask by a factor of 10, but only a PAPR (Positive Air Pressure Respirator $400 to $3000 each) will give good protection.
N95 stops 90%, PAPR over 99%. Airborne viruses can infect anyone in a building with a source, or sometimes even the next building downwind!
 
Re: What are the chances of being exposed/infected in public if...

High Risk said:
I would want to check with a medical person about which type of N-95 mask to get.
I believe one wants the surgical quality N-95's, which may well be different than the construction/sanding grade N-95's. Perhaps one of the docs or RN's would like to comment on this. Or one can research mask specifications on one of the manufacturer sites.
Click to expand...
The specification is the same--i.e. stops 95% of particles. What's ironic is that during the period no one could find N95 masks in the pharmacies, you could buy whole crates of them in the hardware stores. What's more, you could get the more expensive vented ones in the hardware stores for the same price as the non-vented ones in the pharmacy, at least around here.

Btw, I recommend the vented ones, even if you have to pay more for them. They really do a good job of reducing humidity inside the mask, and make people much less likely to pull the mask away from their face to clear it out.
 
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