Are masks readily available now?

[DrDawkinstein]

10 minutes ago, RaoulDuke79 said:

Let's be honest. Most people are just putting things on their face with no idea of what the exact benefit is. As long as you wrap something around your head the general public won't look at you like you're a leper and let you pass in peace.

 

I dont know, it's pretty simple. Even simple enough the average person can understand it, and the "pee on you" analogy is pretty dead on. It's the folks who are outright refusing that are really weird. Attacking store security guards and whatnot. It's like, dude, just put a tshirt around your face and maybe we can go to a football game later this year (and bonus, you may save some lives while you're at it). ?

[Hapless Bills Fan]

9 hours ago, Seasons1992 said:

I was forced to go to CVS just earlier today (apparently UPS thinks an oil filter needs a signature.......different story) and they have masks sitting in a basket at the register, tons of rubbing alcohol, and tons of hand sani. Someone is making sure these supplies are forced to certain locations and only are available in person. Beats the hoarders of March, that's for sure.

 

Oh, wow...wish that were here, can't buy rubbing alcohol and only small bottles of hand sanitizer at about 5x markup.  Neighbor found some hand sani on sale at Sam's at reasonable price, on-line purchase only, supposed to be delivered tomorrow.

 

9 hours ago, Limeaid said:

When I used to try to masks I'd find companies/people pulling scams - selling items which descriptions did not match items, breaking boxes open and selling at small quantities for high markup / delivery charges, sellers selling masks with 6+ weeks deliveries and then cancelling orders and advertising again at higher prices, etc.

 

Recently I have found more dependable sellers, sellers I heard of before COVID-19, selling masks.  

Examples:

• 3-Ply Disposable Face Mask Individual Pack - Box of 30, $32.99, free shipping, delivery within a week
• 50 Pcs Thick Disposable 3-Layer Breathable Face Mask, $29.99, free shipping, delivery within a week

 

Have production caught up with demand?

 

I don't know?  Nurses in "epicenter" areas are still saying they're being heavily rationed. 

On the other hand, I know of 3 places near here where I could buy an individually wrapped new KN95 mask for $5.  It's not the greatest mask, I wouldn't want to wear it if I was a 1st responder or HCP, and I had trouble on my particular face shape getting a good seal, but if it works for your face shape it would probably do a heck of a lot more for you than a a t-shirt

[Hapless Bills Fan]

8 hours ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

..you can order 50 today on Amazon for $34.99 and have them by Saturday (70 cents each)...……...

 

What kind of masks are these?

 

I was shopping for a seat cover for one of our cars and the company (Weather Tech) was offering a bundle of medical procedure type masks as an add-on

[Hapless Bills Fan]

8 hours ago, 4_kidd_4 said:

What about gloves? We’re getting critically low at my office, about to get some old school dish gloves and leave em on all day.

 

We got a box of nitrile early on at Menard's (big box store like Home Depot).  Since then, have only seen poly (food service) type gloves.

 

I see boxes of 100 nitrile medical exam gloves on Amazon for $25-30.  Says made in Malaysia.  Might want to give 'em a try.

 

I reuse nitrile gloves until they tear.  Strip them off in approved no-dirty-side contact manner,  let them sit 3 days, unfold them and straighten out gently (chopstick helps), spray with disinfectant clip up to dry and wash the heck out of my hands.  But I don't have actual patient contact, they're just a precaution and a means of saving skin from chapping - I wash or disinfect the gloves instead of my hands.

 

8 hours ago, The Dean said:

 

Try a beauty supply store. My local shop had shelves of them.  Latex (or nitrile) exam gloves.

 

Word.  This is where to get the KN95 masks in this town - the beauty supply shops especially in the poor areas of town.  Those places already had an established pipeline with a bunch of suppliers in Asia.

[The Dean]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Oh, wow...wish that were here, can't buy rubbing alcohol and only small bottles of hand sanitizer at about 5x markup.  Neighbor found some hand sani on sale at Sam's at reasonable price, on-line purchase only, supposed to be delivered tomorrow.

 

 

I haven't seen hand sanitizer in a store in a couple months, until today. A small liquor store had a box of 6oz (or 8oz) of basic stuff for $10 a bottle. I bit the bullet and picked one up. I only really need it for the car and I had a squirt left on the bottle I already had. I also keep hand cleaner, paper towels and a bottle of water in the car, just in case.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

3 hours ago, RaoulDuke79 said:

Let's be honest. Most people are just putting things on their face with no idea of what the exact benefit is. As long as you wrap something around your head the general public won't look at you like you're a leper and let you pass in peace.

 

So I put up a bunch of info on different mask materials and studies on masks on the "facts only" thread last night

 

At the bottom is a link to a modeling study done by an international group of scientists that suggests 80% compliance with public mask wearing would be more effective in reducing the spread of covid-19 than a lockdown
 

I'll put it here

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2004.13553.pdf

 

There's a good bit of evidence that fabric masks provide poor protection for the wearer against absorption of infectious material

But there's also a good bit of evidence that fabric masks provide significant filtration of what the wearer exhales - they prevent transmission

My mask protects you; your mask protects me. 
 

I personally think it's worth the extra effort to try to obtain a bit better mask that affords some protection against absorption - a cloth pocket mask with with a shop towel filter or other non-woven insert, for example; a KN95 mask picked up at a beauty supply store: or even a bandana folded over a piece of non-woven towel or filtering material, with a pipe-cleaner at the top to fold over your nose.  There are designs that sewists have actually tested and found to be 82-87% efficient.
 

But almost anything you put on your face will be a benefit to the rest of the public and vice versa - almost anything they put on their face will be a benefit to you.

 

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

8 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

What kind of masks are these?

 

I was shopping for a seat cover for one of our cars and the company (Weather Tech) was offering a bundle of medical procedure type masks as an add-on

 

.....the light blue paper ones.....see description below from Amazon.........

 

 

Disposable Face Masks - 50 PCS - For Home & Office - 3-Ply Breathable & Comfortable Filter Safety Mask

by Disposable Face Masks

3.5 out of 5 stars 121 ratings

| 60 answered questions

 

 

 

---

List Price:	$67.00
Price:	$25.40 ($0.51 / Count) & FREE Shipping
You Save:	$41.60 (62%)

Edited May 15, 2020 by OldTimeAFLGuy

[BillsFan4]

On 5/14/2020 at 1:05 PM, 4_kidd_4 said:

 

Solid, thanks man.

Also try an auto parts store. I got a box from there a while back. Got em at Napa. I only have a couple pairs left or I’d offer them to you. Autozone or advanced auto may have them as well.

 

Maybe try harbor freight too. Back before this started they had a whole section filled with different types of latex, nitrile, vinyl gloves. 

 

 

Edit - hey, I checked the auto parts websites. They all say you have to call the store to buy them. So they may have them, you’ll have to call, but they’re not shipping them. You’d have to go pick them up (that’s what I had to do). 

 

I checked amazon but most places weren't delivering until July.

 

If you can’t find them elsewhere, I did find these available to ship on Walmart.com. Says they arrive by May 26th. But they’re sold by a 3rd party, not directly by Walmart.

 

I have bought stuff like that before (not from that seller), but prefer to buy it from the ones listed for sale from Walmart.com whenever possible. Maybe there’s a better option. Here’s the disposable gloves they show for sale. 

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/100-Shield-Nitrile-Blue-Disposable-Powder-Free-Gloves-Non-Latex-Vinyl-Exam-Small/295081411

 

Here’s the disposable gloves for sale on Walmart.com:

 

https://www.walmart.com/browse/health/disposable-gloves/976760_2571007_9602421

Edited May 17, 2020 by BillsFan4

[BillsFan4]

On 5/14/2020 at 12:00 PM, Limeaid said:

When I used to try to masks I'd find companies/people pulling scams - selling items which descriptions did not match items, breaking boxes open and selling at small quantities for high markup / delivery charges, sellers selling masks with 6+ weeks deliveries and then cancelling orders and advertising again at higher prices, etc.

 

Recently I have found more dependable sellers, sellers I heard of before COVID-19, selling masks.  

Examples:

• 3-Ply Disposable Face Mask Individual Pack - Box of 30, $32.99, free shipping, delivery within a week
• 50 Pcs Thick Disposable 3-Layer Breathable Face Mask, $29.99, free shipping, delivery within a week

 

Have production caught up with demand?

 

Be careful of some of those disposable paper masks for sale on amazon. 

 

From the description of that 50 pack for $35:

 

Quote

•  
• This mask is not intended for medical use, and not proven to reduce the transmission of disease.

That would definitely make me pause before buying them.

 

My sister bought some of those 3 ply paper masks off amazon and they were garbage. They are super thin. Maybe she just picked a bad seller, I don’t know. But they were terrible. Personally, I’d wear a home made mask over these.

 

 

As far as masks being generally available, I would say “it depends on what type of mask”.

 

 You can find foreign made masks and fabric masks but you can’t order n95 masks from almost anywhere. Maybe the Chinese kn95 but not our 3M masks. You can’t get them from websites like home depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, etc like normal. You can’t order p100 respirator masks for painting either. 

 

There are cheap 3 ply paper surgical look-alike masks available for purchase like the ones described above. But they’re not surgical grade masks from what I’ve seen for sale. I haven’t been able to find any surgical grade disposable masks (at least not for s price I’d be willing to pay).

 

I was able to get 9 Chinese made disposable kn95 masks. A 4 pack from amazon and a 5 pack from a friend who’s boss ordered 1000 of them from China for all his employees. They are ok. Better than a paper mask or piece of cloth/bandanna.

But they are the best I’ve been able to find.

 

If anyone has been able to find real n95 masks or real surgical grade masks, please share the link. I would love to get some.

Edited May 23, 2020 by BillsFan4

[The Dean]

I received a wrapped, individual disposable mask, with my takeout Thai food order last night.

 

It seems as though there are many more masks, of all types, available.  A good friend of mine is the GM of the Maid of the Mist retail gift shops. This year they are moving to new boats, completely unlike the old classic ones. So most of the merchandise needs to be redesigned and remanufactured.  Guess what isn't readily available. T shirts! Seems the high volume manufacturers have shifted their production of shirts to masks.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

11 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

Be careful of some of those disposable paper masks for sale on amazon. 

 

From the description of that 50 pack for $35:

 

That would definitely make me pause before buying them.

 

My sister bought some of those 3 ply paper masks off amazon and they were garbage. They are super thin. Maybe she just picked a bad seller, I don’t know. But they were terrible. Personally, I’d wear a home made mask over these.

 

 

As far as masks being generally available, I would say no. You can find foreign made masks and fabric masks but you can’t order n95 masks from almost anywhere. Maybe the Chinese kn95 but not our 3M masks. You can’t get them from websites like home depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, etc like normal. You can’t order p100 respirator masks for painting either. 

 

There are cheap 3 ply paper surgical look-alike masks available for purchase like the ones described above. But they’re not surgical grade masks from what I’ve seen for sale. I haven’t been able to find any surgical grade disposable masks (at least not for s price I’d be willing to pay).

 

I was able to get 9 Chinese made disposable kn95 masks. A 4 pack from amazon and a 5 pack from a friend who’s boss ordered 1000 of them from China for all his employees. They are ok. Better than a paper mask or piece of cloth/bandanna.

But they are the best I’ve been able to find.

 

They gave out the cheap paper medical-mask-look-alikes to the residents and staff at the Independent Living where my mom resides.  All residents are required to wear a mask while in the hallway, and so are all workers.  Many of the workers are wearing more serious masks.  My “take” on it is that I believe my homemade masks are better for me - they fit better and have pockets into which I insert Zep shop towels to filter and to maintain barrier after the inside of the mask becomes wet with sweat.  But, I think the medical knock-offs have enough layers that they are doing the job of reducing outflow of particles from each resident, and for elderly, I think they are better - they are light, and soft, and don’t impede breathing.  I feel it is a good thing that they’re doing this.

 

We received two KN95 masks from a neighbor, who purchased them at a beauty supply shop in a pretty bad part of town.   Apparently a lot of these shops already have a pipeline set up with purchasing stuff from China, so it was easy for them to get masks.  The masks appear to be brand-new and are sealed in individual plastic wrappers.

 

My review of these KN95 masks is that they had all the features to seal, but neither of us could obtain a proper, sealed fit with them.  They had ear loop elastics, which in general are less secure than behind the head; that could be fixed with a glue gun or stapler and some elastic cord.  They had a good metal strip to fit over the nose, and it bent to shape, but somehow for us that just failed to get a seal.  Glasses fogging up = no seal.  We played around with adding a foam strip inside the mask; that made it worse.  Fashion tape (double sided skin safe tape) in the nose area was the bomb.  Sealed after adding that.  HCW also have access to a type of skin safe tape used to adhere IVs, etc.

 

So I could make it seal properly and fit OK, but right out of the bag it didn’t.

 

 

[The Dean]

3 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

 

My review of these KN95 masks is that they had all the features to seal, but neither of us could obtain a proper, sealed fit with them.  They had ear loop elastics, which in general are less secure than behind the head; that could be fixed with a glue gun or stapler and some elastic cord.  They had a good metal strip to fit over the nose, and it bent to shape, but somehow for us that just failed to get a seal.  Glasses fogging up = no seal.  We played around with adding a foam strip inside the mask; that made it worse.  Fashion tape (double sided skin safe tape) in the nose area was the bomb.  Sealed after adding that.  HCW also have access to a type of skin safe tape used to adhere IVs, etc.

 

So I could make it seal properly and fit OK, but right out of the bag it didn’t.

 

 

 

 

You don't see this on the shelves, but if you can get your hands on Hypafix tape, it is the absolute best thing ever, IMO. I use it to cover my fentanyl patch, as those have a tendency to come off easily. I believe their main use  is to hold hoses, and such, to the patient. But the stuff is simply incredible. I can put a piece on my elbow, for example, and it stays securely connected for days on end, shower after shower. When you take it off, it comes off with no effort or pain, and leaves no residue. It's does take good sharp scissors, or a razor blade, to cut them properly.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Hypafix-Dressing-Retention-Tape-Yards/dp/B014SUA3MM

 

 

[4_kidd_4]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone.

 

Luckily a  huge case of proper gloves in all sizes arrived at our office today.

[WhoTom]

We just scored a 5-pack of KN95 masks for $20 at Farm & Fleet. Then I saw this article about certain KN95 masks that didn't meet FDA requirements. Fortunately, the ones we got aren't listed:

 

https://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2020-archive/may/fda-removes-emergency-use-authorization-for-some-kn95-masks

 

[BillsFan4]

2 minutes ago, WhoTom said:

We just scored a 5-pack of KN95 masks for $20 at Farm & Fleet. Then I saw this article about certain KN95 masks that didn't meet FDA requirements. Fortunately, the ones we got aren't listed:

 

https://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2020-archive/may/fda-removes-emergency-use-authorization-for-some-kn95-masks

 

I’m going to have to check mine. Thanks for sharing this.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

On 5/14/2020 at 7:44 PM, DrDawkinstein said:

 

I dont know, it's pretty simple. Even simple enough the average person can understand it, and the "pee on you" analogy is pretty dead on. It's the folks who are outright refusing that are really weird. Attacking store security guards and whatnot. It's like, dude, just put a tshirt around your face and maybe we can go to a football game later this year (and bonus, you may save some lives while you're at it). ?

 

Interesting perspective by a high-risk person

https://themighty.com/2020/05/responding-mask-protests-covid-19/?fbclid=IwAR1RbmUudNLFTgXdp_4hSMjtsSH_cOFV5a0Wm5bbwMfynjZPraxT3LKTXyg

 

[Gugny]

On 5/15/2020 at 5:42 AM, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

.....the light blue paper ones.....see description below from Amazon.........

 

 

Disposable Face Masks - 50 PCS - For Home & Office - 3-Ply Breathable & Comfortable Filter Safety Mask

by Disposable Face Masks

3.5 out of 5 stars 121 ratings

| 60 answered questions

 

 

 

---

List Price:	$67.00
Price:	$25.40 ($0.51 / Count) & FREE Shipping
You Save:	$41.60 (62%)

 

I've got a box of 2,000 of these sitting in my office right now.  I've got another 300 N95 masks, too.  I wear the disposable ones.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

On 5/14/2020 at 2:43 PM, spartacus said:

sacrilege for stating the above

 

Please cut the crap. 

If you actually took the trouble to read the threads on covid-19 here, you will see that it is multiple times and repeatedly acknowledged that N95 masks and possibly a handful of particle-tested masks made with the right materials in the right manner may filter viral particles and protect from infection, and that the point of cloth, procedure, and other medical masks is to block exhalation of particles and prevent the wearer from infecting others.

 

If you're wanting to randomly snark and exercise your pet peeves, there are plenty of places you can do that, you don't need to do that here.

 

3 hours ago, Gugny said:

 

I've got a box of 2,000 of these sitting in my office right now.  I've got another 300 N95 masks, too.  I wear the disposable ones.

 

Before we bust your ass as a mask hoarder, you might want to mention that you have them there as the supervisor of workers in an essential business, that is providing masks to protect the employees.  The Truth Is Out There.

[Gugny]

3 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

Before we bust your ass as a mask hoarder, you might want to mention that you have them there as the supervisor of workers in an essential business, that is providing masks to protect the employees.  The Truth Is Out There.

 

Good point, thank you!

[Hapless Bills Fan]

7 hours ago, 4_kidd_4 said:

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone.

 

Luckily a  huge case of proper gloves in all sizes arrived at our office today.

 

Good stuff!   Whoo hoo!

 

Pro Tip for anyone who has to wear gloves in a size too large for them: coat your hands lightly with vasoline or a thick lotion before donning the gloves. when you pull the glove fingers up to fit closely over your fingertips, the vasoline will then hold them in place and you'll have good dexterity, even wearing gloves 1-2 sizes too large.
 

All this crap I learned during lifetime of trying to do fine manual dexterity lab work in the wrong size gloves, I had no idea it would ever become generally useful advice.