[theoddz]

For folks who might be looking for masks that might offer some sort of protection from COVID-19, I have a couple of web sites that offer medical (PPE) masks to the general public in smaller batches (25-50 disposable masks). Compared to some of the price gouging I've seen from some sellers, these 2 sites don't seem to be too bad, costwise.

www.Banggood.com

and

www.masksbywhizley.com/


A word about these masks, though. Keep in mind that I've been a Registered Respiratory Therapist (now retired) for nearly 30 years, and my specialty has always been in the field of Adult Critical Care (ICU). It's from this perspective that I'm going to say a couple of things about these masks.

In the hospital environment, for "general"/Universal Precautions personal protection equipment, we use the thin, paperlike (usually they are a light blue in color, but can also be white or a pale yellow color) masks with the slim elastic ear loops. Sometimes these masks come with an attached plastic face mask, and sometimes not, but they are suitable for protecting against simple splashes and the like. They don't really do a whole lot for small particle (less than 3 microns in size, which is SMALL), as in bacterial or viral, protection. Sometimes, these masks are offered in health care environments, doctors' offices and the like, to patients who have an active cough, for the purpose of protecting others who might be around them.

Now, that being said, the masks that we use for what we've always called "Respiratory Isolation" or "Droplet/Airborne Isolation" (this would be COVID-19), we use what is called an N95, or NP95 Protective Mask. These masks are made much more durably, consisting of a thicker structure and a higher degree of protection, effectively blocking the inhalation of particles/virus/bacteria that are less than 3 microns in size. The important thing that you need to consider here before one goes rushing out to try to buy one or more of these N(P)95 masks is this: In order for these masks to guarantee that they will work effectively and perform to the standards that they are designed for, they must first be FIT TESTED, to ensure that they will fit the wearer correctly. These masks are disposable, and tend to be much more expensive and, in these days and times, harder to find. These are the masks that the authorities were first urging people NOT to buy, to ensure that there would be enough of them available for health professionals. I'm not telling anyone to either buy or not buy these masks. That's up to you. I'm not your conscience, nor am I your moral compass. If you want to buy one of these N95 masks, in particular, buy one, but be aware of what you're getting, what it's intended for and who it is intended for. In the hospital, we have special Infection Control teams who are constantly and periodically fit testing us, in order to ensure that we are protected by these masks.

There are also masks being sold on Amazon and Etsy that are made of various materials and are not considered to be "medical grade". These can be hand made and consist of any number of fabrics and materials. I've seen a few neoprene masks that are suitable for sports activities and some that are designed to protect against dust and pollution. I'm not thinking that these would be very effective, in reality, but I guess they'd be better than nothing, if nothing else were available. They are inexpensive and I've heard that, for someone with any kind of sewing ability, relatively easy to make.

Either way, I hope this information might serve to provide information to the folks who'd like to know this sort of thing. I hope everyone is staying safe, washing your hands and practicing the advised social distancing.

~Theo~