Start Wearing Face Mask Protection

As the COVID-19 virus infection spreads throughout the United States, I see people in public and grocery stores not heeding to precautions of social distancing or even wearing a protective face mask. We have all seen the video images of masses of Chinese citizens wear protective face masks in public. I had felt there was something China was not telling the world or to public health officials around the world. Remember when China tries to downplay the SARS virus of 2003.

Our health community and first responders are in trouble in the U.S. and worldwide, why? COVID-19 has mutated and may continue to do so. Even if the vaccine is developed, it will take nine months to a year, and probably more. As this infection evolves, public health officials were telling the public to keep social distancing of six feet between people, to wash your hands, do not touch your face, why? Because this COVID-19 is a pathogen virus that can enter through your mouth, nose, and eyes and end up into your internal body.

As this COVID-19 increase in infection cases, and death rate, people continue to blame the leadership and the U.S. President, it is unfair, why? Because every person living in the United States has a personal and moral responsibility to act by social distancing, using protective face masks, and washing hands often. In San Antonio, police and code compliance officers had to send people away from crowed golf courses.

In Louisiana and Florida. There have been television preachers still televising their service with several hundred people in the crowd. At what point and at what cost will people realize this COVID-19 is a real Global Pandemic Emergency? Is it going to take the death of someone we love or care about? Only each citizen can answer that question personally. We all have personal responsibility, moral responsibility, and civic responsibility. We can blame our leaders for not acting earlier. China acted early, but this COVID-19 spread no matter what countermeasures they took.

People in China were wearing protective face masks, while many other countries did not. Even when the Spanish Flu of 1918 struck the United States, there were laws in place, that it was illegal not to wear a protective face mask. We should have heeded to the warning of the Spanish Flu virus of 1918, which killed 500,000 citizens and 50 million worldwide.

As I had worked in the past at the Texas Department of State Health Services as a security supervisor and trained to assist medical infection control and treatment personnel, personal protection equipment and infection control methods were our safety nets.

As the topic of infection disease medical doctor Anthony Fucci, M.D. leads the fight, and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the COVID-19 continues to spread. Public health officials continue to see the numbers rise in cases of infections and deaths. Even at the grocery store, a manager stated that wearing a protective face mask does not good, according to his doctor. I was wearing a face protective N-95 mask in public because not everyone has been tested, and unknown carrying the virus. I told him that Dr. Anthony Fucci and CDC are the experts. So there somethings to be said about the people in China wearing protective face masks. It helps to wear a protective face mask because it reduces your possible exposure, but it is not 100 percent. Because a true face protective mask nears to fit snug around the contour of your face and most people just put it on and not check that there are no openings between your face and masks.

Another thing when working for the state, we had to be fit tested to make sure the protective medical face mask fit snug with no openings between the face and masks. Some of the things I learned while working with professionals in infectious disease control, was when a person is sneezing, it is the natural process of the human nose to clear the particles from the nose hair follicles. When a person sneezes, the person sneezing at a force of about 60 miles per hour, and that sneeze can travel about 10 to 12 feet, if, inside a building, the particles can travel further, and in the enclosed non-ventilate room ever further.

I have seen people wear bandanas only covering their mouth and not the nose, People wearing the N-95 medical-grade mask upside down, or just letting wrap around their neck when they should have it on. At local grocery stores, I have seen people cough and sneeze inside the building and not cover their mouths. Those that have covered their mouth after coughing or sneezing end up putting their hand on the grocery cart handle or handling produce such as fruits and vegetables and then putting the product back in the stack. I would wash all the products you buy at the grocery store. Call your local public health to get information on washing food and food safety.

The latest news from the CDC and San Antonio Metro Health is that social distancing may not be enough. The new recommendations are that six feet of social distancing may not be enough; why? A story aired locally in San Antonio by television reporters at https://news4sanantonio.com. The news station video that a person who coughs or sneezes, the particles of the cough or sneeze can travel of about up to 12 feet, and the cloud of the can linger in the area, and some other walks into it and breathes the air in the area, and possibly get infected, and not know it. From where a person sneezes as shown on the news station video from one side of the street to the other side of the street is about 25 feet. Where a person coughs or sneeze from one side of the street, a cloud mist will linger within those 25 feet, and if a person walks into it, the person could be possibly infected.

On April 3, 2020, the CDC has now recommended for people to use at least a cloth as a face covering. Since not everyone has been tested. If there is a suspected person that is carrying the COVID-19 and not know it, that person wearing a cloth face covering can reduce the risks of other people being infected. The public not to use N-95 or other medical grade masks can be of better use in protecting our medical personnel and first responders, where it is needed the most.

The virus we as a nation is encountering can be spread between people when talking to others, coughing, or sneezing close to others. The best thing all citizens need to do is always wash your hands whatever object or surface you touch, increase your social distancing, avoid those who are sick, use drive-through to pick up your food or curbside service. If you order medicines, pick it up at the drive-through. Avoid allowing people to get close to you that you do not know and, most of all, limit your exposure in public and stay home. As a person that has dealt with many emergencies and disasters, this COVID-19 declared emergency pandemic is like nothing that I or emergency management professionals have encountered. How long will this COVID-19 last people ask? It will depend on the public being compliant to the current emergency recommended measures, the faster we can get back to recovering our society.

Retrieved from: https://news4sanantonio.com/

Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover.html