Are G-strings, jock straps and maxi pads as effective as N95 masks?
This was the question Vice sought to answer with their latest report looking into the effectiveness of various makeshift face masks.
“What might seem like a joke or a thirsty TikTok, these makeshift masks could actually offer some protection — or at least better protection than no mask at all,” Vice writes, attempting to make CDC-recommended face masks seem not only necessary, but cool and edgy.
After reviewing several mask alternatives promoted on social media, from plastic water containers to Lucha Libre Mexican wrestler masks, Vice asked Chief Medical Officer for Chesapeake Urology Geoffrey Sklar to rate them in terms of their effectiveness.
According to Vice, the maxipad feminine hygiene item was the most effective DIY mask:
Surprisingly, the maxi pad got high marks. The fibrous cotton had the best shot at blocking larger particles (and some smaller ones) from exiting the pad. Sklar suggested using a pad with wings to cover your nose — which the average plastic water jug mask, for example, does not offer.
Vice concludes none of the do-it-yourself masks are as protective as N95 masks, “but those need to be saved for medical professionals.”
Indeed, over the past few weeks we’ve seen the masks used by numerous “medical professionals” – as props in TikTok videos.
really??? pic.twitter.com/Qlp600o0qd
— romepix.com (@romepix) April 25, 2020
“When you’re stuck working a covid tent you make the best of it” April 2020 pic.twitter.com/Qx885nyFVj
— romepix.com (@romepix) April 26, 2020
— romepix.com (@romepix) April 26, 2020
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