Please sign this important petition: Wearing face masks in public should be made mandatory by government to prevent Coronavirus.
Homemade masks can significantly slow the spread of COVID-19, and won't reduce supply to health workers.
How to Significantly Slow Coronavirus? #Masks4All
Masks and Critical Thinking - Why homemade masks really work against coronavirus #Masks4All
Evidence that the WHO, CDC, and other authorities have told us masks are ineffective only to reduce demand: Supply v Science.
Please read the following thread by Jeremy Howard, which includes plenty of compelling scientific evidence for wearing face masks:
Deep learning R&D and education
Founder: fast.ai - Book: tiny.cc/fastaibook
Faculty: usfca.edu; Chair wamri.ai
#masks4all
Founder: fast.ai - Book: tiny.cc/fastaibook
Faculty: usfca.edu; Chair wamri.ai
#masks4all
The Czech Republic went from zero mask usage to 100% in 10 days, and in the process they halted the growth of new covid-19 cases.
How? They made their own! They didn't need government help; they did it themselves.
It's time for #masks4all. See why:
1/
How? They made their own! They didn't need government help; they did it themselves.
It's time for #masks4all. See why:
1/
Please watch the video above for the full explanation. Here's a quick summary.
See the light turquoise lines in this chart? See how they're all pretty flat? Know what they have in common? These folks all wear masks in public!
See the light turquoise lines in this chart? See how they're all pretty flat? Know what they have in common? These folks all wear masks in public!
Masks aren't enough on their own. But they are a part of the solution in *every* region that's figuring out how to beat this thing!
(Of course, you can't even *begin* to solve this until you've done a lock-down long enough to buy your hospital system time.)
(Of course, you can't even *begin* to solve this until you've done a lock-down long enough to buy your hospital system time.)
Here's the president of Taiwan. Why is she so happy? Because Taiwan has so few cases they don't even appear on the chart above!
They've invested massively in masks!
They've invested massively in masks!
The power of Taiwan’s SMEs never ceases to amaze me. I’m proud to announce that as of this week, Taiwan’s Face Mask Team now has the capacity to produce an average of 9.2 million masks per day, & 10 million masks per day on weekdays. Yes, 10,000,000! pic.twitter.com/rg7Pl3xHff
— 蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) March 10, 2020
What's happening here? Does this masks thing really make sense, scientifically? Yes, it does!
Here's 34 scientific papers that all point to the same thing: masks (even home made ones) really work to dramatically reduce the spread of covid-19.
Here's 34 scientific papers that all point to the same thing: masks (even home made ones) really work to dramatically reduce the spread of covid-19.
Masks aren't just about protecting the wearer. They're mainly about protecting those around you. In the Czech Republic, advertisements are used to make sure everyone understands that if you wear a mask, you're helping your community stay safe. 
Want to learn more about the astounding and inspiring story of what happened in the Czech Republic in just 10 days?
Here it is!
Here it is!
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The fancy masks they use in hospitals are called 'Respirators' (the most common rating is 'N95'). You don't need one of those to protect you - they're only needed for certain hospital procedures.
You just need a basic mouth & nose cover, and goggles or glasses for your eyes.
You just need a basic mouth & nose cover, and goggles or glasses for your eyes.
A Cambridge University study showed that lots of household materials are nearly as good as surgical masks, and you can use 2 layers of material to make them even better.
It doesn't need to be perfect - it just needs to reduce viral load so your immune system can kick in!
It doesn't need to be perfect - it just needs to reduce viral load so your immune system can kick in!
These simple materials work well because covid-19 is transmitted as "droplets", which are easily caught by even a cotton t-shirt. 
Oxford University showed that hospitals only need the fancy respirators when they're doing "Aerosol Generating Procedures" (AGPs). 
Otherwise, surgical masks are really useful, even in a hospital setting. 
This has been formalized by Oxford University with this guidance: 
As @PeterKolchinsky explains, basic masks reduce viral load, which is what your body needs! 
The person who really kicked off #masks4all in Czech Republic was @PetrLudwig with his powerful and compelling video. A key part of his message: wearing a mask is a selfless, pro-social behavior
The community response in Czech Republic was amazing. People made their own masks at home, and then hung them on "mask trees" for anyone in their community to use. Such kindness! 
Within days, masks were everywhere! Politicians! Trams! Statues! 
Here's an important tip that didn't make it to the video: you can reuse your masks. Stanford University research shows that you can just pop them in the oven at 70C (160F) for 30 mins, and they're good to go!
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So, do you want to help get your community out of lock-down, back on their feet, and cut the death toll? Here's how you can help:
1) Share this video
2) Create a mask, and take a selfie with it
3) Use the hashtag #masks4all
1) Share this video
2) Create a mask, and take a selfie with it
3) Use the hashtag #masks4all
How do you make a mask? Here's how to do it with no sewing, using an old t-shirt (it's in Czech - but you can understand it from the pics).
I've started a wiki thread to collect "how to" info on making masks - please help contribute. :)
Check out the Czech politicians rocking up to parliament yesterday, everyone in their own colorful and unique mask! (h/t @masks4all)
Here are some other valuable resources related to masks:
- Simple DIY masks could help flatten the curve. We should all wear them in public, an op-ed article by Jeremy Howard published in the Washington Post. You can use Incognito Mode to avoid the paywall.
- 'Stealth Transmission' of COVID-19 Demands Widespread Mask Usage, by Eldad Einav, MD on medscape.com. Free registration required.
- Scott Gottlied MD on Face The Nation, @ScottGottliebMD tells @margbrennan the true value of wearing a mask in public is to prevent infecting others.
- maskeveryone.com, Make Masks and Share Them with Everyone You Know!
- maskssavelives.org, Universal mask-wearing is the most overlooked COVID-19 lifesaver
- enrichmentality.com/masks, How can I make my own face mask? (And why should I?)
- covidiocracy.com - COVID-19 Portal, with information on Masks and DIY homemade masks
If you have any links to add, or ideas to improve this page and promote wearing face masks, please contact the webmaster.