Why you should wear homemade cloth masks during the COVID-19 pandemic

by Rishi Ganesh

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues its rampage on society, economy, and connectivity, resources have run scarce for those on the front lines. Healthcare workers across the globe need to stay safe and uninfected more than any other group of people. To do this, we need to come together and provide our doctors and nurses with the best possible equipment. This includes the best possible protection for these workers against the virus.

The general attitude towards the COVID-19 outbreak has been one of fear and the public have scrambled to find the best protection when we really should be reserving these items for those on the front lines. The scarcity of respirators and surgical masks has, in large part, been due to the public’s need to feel safe, when the reality is that healthcare workers are far more likely to contract COVID-19 than we are. Far more.

Therefore, as members of society, it is our duty to help out in any way that we can, including donation, fundraising, making masks, or just staying at home as much as possible. Additionally, the main reason that healthcare workers need these more expensive and effective respirators is because of the fact that face masks don’t stop contraction of the virus, but are actually merely a preventive measure designed to slow the spread of the virus.

Due to the fact that the SARS-CoV2 virus spreads in the form of droplets and is a respiratory disease, face masks, while they don’t stop the virus from spreading completely, prevent entry into the respiratory system and force the virus to find another way into a host, making it much more difficult to spread the virus.

It is now more common for people to get infected by a lack of washing hands and then touching their face than from sneezing near someone and entering through the mask. Thus, the better the mask, the less likely the virus can spread to OR from someone. Masks reduce the chance of getting COVID-19 drastically. If someone were to offer you a vaccine that lowered your chances of getting coronavirus by up to 85%, would you take it? Of course you would!

Well, guess what? That’s exactly what a mask does.

Unfortunately, due to the public’s buying of respirators and surgical masks, a lower quantity is available for doctors and healthcare workers fighting the pandemic, allowing for the disease to spread through healthcare workers who are at a much higher risk to contract the virus.

Enter the homemade cloth mask. Due to the general public being relatively isolated, as opposed to doctors, who are at high risk, we don’t need the same protection. The vast majority of people we encounter will not have the coronavirus unless we work or frequent a medical setting. Surprisingly enough, there are about 6.1 million cases of coronavirus worldwide (as of writing this article) and when measured up against the world population of 7.8 billion, it turns out only about .07% of the world is or has been infected with the virus. That’s 7 people for every 10,000.

However, this doesn’t mean schools should be reopened and social distancing dissolved, as there are undoubtedly many unreported cases, as the virus can present itself without any symptoms whatsoever. What it does mean, though, is that people don’t have to fear as much as they think.

Again, just because the pandemic isn’t as massive as it’s made out to be doesn’t mean it can’t still affect you. This is especially true in the US, as social distancing laws haven’t really been put into effect as well as other countries, largely due to a portion of the population refusing to wear a mask. Don’t be that person. Wear a mask. The US has 4% of the world’s population and over 25% of its cases. Again, wear a mask. However, that mask doesn’t have to be a top-of-the-line mask if you’re not in an area or profession where COVID is a major factor in life.

This is why homemade cloth masks are the best option for the average person. It allows for protection that is still serviceable and viable while allowing those who really need the top-tier masks to utilize them and stop the spread of the pandemic. In the end, we’re all in this together, whether we like it or not, and sacrifices will be necessary in these times of strife.

This was my first article of the blog. I really hope that you enjoyed it and learned something, and I hope you will continue to support me in the future. I am grateful for you taking the time to view a 16-year-old’s opinion on this changing world we live in. Thank you.