The article is in the Wall Street Journal.
But first here are some stats from the BBC – the death rates per million from COVID in three countries:
Great Britain – 600/1,000,000
United States – 400/1,000,000
Japan – 7/1,000,000
That's right, Japan has phenomenally fewer deaths and virtually everyone wears a mask in public. That has to be a factor, although perhaps not the only one.
Here's the WSJ article – unfortunately the useful graphs couldn't be transferred over …
The study found that aerosol-size droplets expelled from the mannequin with the double-layered cotton mask traveled forward about 2.5 inches on average, and that most of the leakage escaped from gaps between the nose and face. Loosely fitting facial coverings, including a folded cotton handkerchief with ear loops, as well as a bandanna were less helpful, the study found. With those masks, droplets traveled on average about 1.25 and 3.5 feet, respectively. In contrast, the study found droplets traveled about 8 inches on average with an off-the-shelf cone-shaped mask.
Meanwhile, droplets from an uncovered cough traveled around 8 feet on average, though the study found that they could travel up to 12 feet—double the currently recommended social-distancing guideline of 6 feet. Leakage from a common disposable surgical mask wasn’t studied, though two of the study’s authors, Siddhartha Verma and Manhar Dhanak, said they are working on it.
“It was surprising in a good way to see that a homemade mask could do so well…that we don’t have to get a very fancy mask,” Dr. Verma said. “A cotton mask can be washed at home and dried. Reusability is becoming important as we go into this for the long haul.”
Yay to double layered at home stuff – that's what we use.
I always had a sense that distancing is not enough. One has to wear a mask. It certainly is not asking too much and there has to be a public mandate for people to take this seriously.
Hello?! It’s late July! The CDC has been recommending masks since early April! Yet mask use has been disparaged and even ridiculed by our science denying commander-in-chief. This is a complete failure of national leadership. 140,000 Americans dead on this reckless man’s watch! Our United States of America was once the respected world leader. Now the Bahamas refuses American visitors.
The prevailing science proves face masks are virtually useless against the Corona Seasonal Chest Cold Virus Scamdemic. As is always the case in any year, only the very elderly, and those who have co-morbidities need to worry about the seasonal cold/flu bug, which is what this is. This mass/mask hysteria is totally unnecessary, since the mortality rate for this so-called ‘pandemic’ has been about the same as the flu in any average year. 99.9% of all folks who get this bug will recover from it, with many not even realizing they ever even had it ! It’s high time for everyone to unmask!
ww332 maybe you should take this up with the Chinese. And with Dr. Fauci who for awhile said wearing a mask was ineffective. And Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. De Blasio who both pooh poohed the pandemic until March. Are you thankful that it was the record-breaking Trump economy that we had when we went into this mess, rather slooow growth no growth economy?
The Chinese, Fauci, Pelosi or DiBlasio are not the President of the United States. As for the Pinnacle of Perspiration, all I can say is, “Oy!”
PINNACLE!!! OH ! That’s a clever title.
I may use that one. Thanks 332 !
You’re welcome, Don of Damp.
Dear 332,
Wait! A correction is in order here. There is no ‘Don of Damp’.
I am the Don of Drip and the Dictator of Dampness!