Mistakes in using protective masks and how to wear them correctly

Medical masks and respirators are protections that have become scarce in light of recent events. But amid the hype, a lot of untruthful information has emerged that only confuses excited people more.

Therefore, today we propose to turn to Dr. Komarovsky and his answers to the most popular and important questions. The famous pediatrician constantly conducts explanatory work, for which he can only be thanked.

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Medical masks and respirators: If a virus flies nearby, no mask can protect you. It is needed only so that a person who coughs or sneezes himself does not scatter his physiological fluids within a radius of a couple of meters. This will be placed on the inner wall of the mask.”



The infected particles will still penetrate the mask, albeit in small volumes. Therefore, wearing a mask simply reduces the likelihood that a sick person will infect a healthy person, explains Dr. Komarovsky.

“If you put on a mask, within an hour you will find that it has become wet with saliva and other liquids. A person may not have symptoms, but if he is already infected, then the mask will be impregnated with particles of the virus. What does a man with a wet mask do when he is uncomfortable wearing it? He constantly touches it, corrects it, thus transferring the virus to his hands. With these hands he touches everything around him.



“You have to learn to wear a mask like a health worker so you don’t fix it every 5 minutes.” Yes, it is necessary to wear a mask, even if a person thinks that he is absolutely healthy, because in fact he can release the infection into the environment. But the bad habit of constantly touching the mask only makes the spread of the virus more intense, warns the pediatrician.



What is the difference between a mask and a respirator? What are the features of the respirator? It fits tightly to the face, so the air we breathe in passes through the filter. The air we breathe out is not filtered. Most importantly, a respirator with an FFP2 filter filters about 95 percent of all filth. The FFP3 filter protects almost 98% of all harmful substances.

FFP2 filter respirators are needed by all health care providers to protect against potential threats. For those who come into contact with patients, respirators with FFP3 filters or even more protected ones are needed. If a doctor is forced to work in a medical mask, since there are no respirators, then this is just a verdict of the entire medical system, Komarovsky said.



An experienced pediatrician notes that now they talk about some miracle masks that can protect from everything. But this is fiction, because really protect only respirators, but not masks.

“Are cotton masks effective? If a person is sick, then a mask of any piece of tissue that does not allow for coughing and sneezing to scatter sputum and drool is effective. But to believe that some mask can protect is naive nonsense. If air passes through the mask, then a virus will pass through it, Komarovsky concluded.



Perhaps this information will upset those who have long believed in myths, but better, as they say, the bitter truth. Today, many people wear masks just because they do. But maybe we should figure it out and take some responsibility? After all, each of us can make a contribution to this unpleasant story with the virus quickly end.