1. Not long ago I gave y'all a stern fatherly lecture about some concepts that were pounded into my head by years of hazmat and EMT training, and as our collective situation is what we might politely call "in flux," I've got some important new stuff for you.
-
-
Show this thread
-
2. The best advice at the present time is to cover your nose and mouth to slow or prevent transmission of the virus when you must enter a potential exposure situation (work outside the home, shopping, essential errands).
Show this thread -
3. We can have pedantic arguments all day about whether this is primarily a measure taken for the benefit of others or for the benefit of oneself. Be pedantic elsewhere. It aids both purposes.
Show this thread -
4. Now, last thread, I strongly cautioned you against throwing on a mask and running off into the world with a fresh spirit of immortality. I did not offer these cautions because masks "don't work," but because people have a bad habit of thinking of them as magic charms.
Show this thread -
5. A piece of personal protective equipment LOWERS risk, but it does not ELIMINATE it, especially when you use it in a cavalier and ignorant fashion. This can give a sense of false confidence. False confidence gets people turned into casualties.
Show this thread -
6. Life preservers are great. But wearing a life preserver doesn’t mean the ship you’re on can’t sink. It doesn’t mean you can’t get swamped by a tall wave. It doesn’t mean you can’t die of exposure while floating in cold water. It's a risk reducer, not fuckin' magic.
Show this thread -
7. If you're standing on shore watching a ship pitch and roll and start to come apart, you don't say "I'll swim out there and hop aboard, it's fine, I've got a flotation vest." The situation is dire, and that's a bad time to assume your PPE has limitless powers.
Show this thread -
8. In a pandemic, in the world at large right now, a lot of us could walk into the equivalent of pitching and tossing ships at any moment out there. The problem is, these situations are mostly silent and invisible, so maintaining discipline against them requires concentration.
Show this thread -
9. Let's talk about that discipline. First, while all the talk right now is masks this and masks that, you need to remember the undefeated champion of hazardous exposures was, is, and always shall be your hands. Hands, people. Wash them! Glove them!
Show this thread -
10. If you're in a situation where you're wearing a mask, that means you should also be covering your hands. The real overture to an emergency medical response isn't a siren, it's the "snap-snap" of disposable gloves going on responders' hands.
Show this thread -
11. Now, the really important part, which means it's the hard part. If you're going to wear PPE due to an ongoing biohazard, which this mess is, you need to COMMIT. You cannot sorta kinda half-assedly mask and glove up in public if the mood strikes you, maybe.
Show this thread -
12. If you are wearing a mask, you CANNOT. CASUALLY. FIDDLE. WITH. IT. Do not reach under it to scratch an itch. Use the mask material itself, gently. Do not smoke through it. Do not take it on and off between bites of food or sips of drink.
Show this thread -
13. Eggbert was inspired by someone else mentioning that they'd seen a man wearing mask and gloves buy a hot dog, remove all of his protective gear, then eat the hot dog, then put his gear back on. What a momentously stupid thing to do.
Show this thread -
14. When you wear a mask and gloves in public, you must assume, as a matter of routine, that their surfaces are contaminated during and after use. The issue at hand isn't just a little bit of dust or pollen, sorry. It's contagious virus particles.
Show this thread -
15. No, you can't take your mask off "just to talk." No, you can't take it off "because you know the people around you." Half-wearing it over just your mouth doesn't help anyone. Biohazards don't give you points for fucking effort.
Show this thread -
16. You don your personal protective equipment. You go into the area of risk (the world at large, alas) and keep your PPE on. When you leave the area of risk, you carefully remove your PPE, wash/clean yourself, then wash/store or dispose of your PPE.
Show this thread -
17. Don't be this guy. Now your mask has a hole in it, and you're going to be fiddling with it to adjust and remove your cigarette, and as an added bonus you have a chance of setting it on fire, which is not the commonly desired surgical mask user experience.pic.twitter.com/1R5CXgtfWs
Show this thread -
18. While you're at it, don't be this guy! That mask... is for snorkeling. There's no FILTER in that fucking air tube! It doesn't do anything! Except expose the wearer to the same dangers as before, only now he gets to look like the fucking Czar of All the Douchebags.pic.twitter.com/tAVukfx3g5
Show this thread -
19. Don't wear scenester masks with studs or rivets piercing the casing; those masks are compromised. Don't wear athletic breath restriction masks. None of this stuff is actually PPE. None of it prevents exposure.
Show this thread -
20. Glasses are preferentially worn OVER a mask, not under it. If you attempt to wear them under glasses, they will both break the seal around your nose and rapidly fog up your glasses. See this? Don't do this.pic.twitter.com/BlqCcmjBPB
Show this thread -
21. Speaking of glasses, they are a surface that can gather viral particles, too. Sanitize them frequently. Don't fiddle with them and then touch your eyes or mouth. Wash them when you return home.
Show this thread -
22. Treat the exposed outer surface of a mask as a hazard at all times, because if it stops anything from reaching you, that's where the "anything" stays. Again, do not fiddle with it and then touch food, drink, medication, human skin, anything. Discipline is tedious. I'm sorry.
Show this thread -
23. PPE is meant to be worn for a -limited- time as you -reluctantly tolerate- being in a hazardous situation. It is not meant to encourage you to run eagerly toward one, or to prolong your exposure longer than you should. It’s. Not. Magic.
Show this thread -
Bonus visual: Best practice for removing a contaminated glove with minimal cross-contamination (you still need to wash afterward, of course).pic.twitter.com/BRTCFRORhD
Show this thread
End of conversation
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.