Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Q&A with the experts: face masks

The University of Waterloo has a number of experts available for comment on various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Professor Zahid Butt, of the School of Public Health and Health Systems, answers common questions about face masks including who should be wearing them, and when.

What is the difference between regular face masks and N95 masks?

Surgical masks are often referred to as face masks, but not all face masks are regulated as surgical masks. They are loose-fitting and do not provide the wearer with protection from inhaling smaller airborne particles. In addition, leakage occurs around the edge of the mask when the user inhales.

N95 (respirator) masks are intended to minimize a wearer’s exposure to particles, including small particle aerosols and large droplets. They are tight-fitting and filter out at least 95 per cent of airborne particles, including large and small particles. When properly fitted and worn, minimal leakage occurs around edges of the respirator when the user inhales.

Canada’s Public Health guidelines say that healthy people don’t need to wear surgical masks, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. are considering this action – what does the science say?

Currently, there is an ongoing debate about whether healthy people need to wear surgical masks. According to WHO “If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection.” This is similar to Canada’s Public Health guidelines. The US CDC is considering reviewing its policy which may advise healthy people to wear surgical masks. This is based on the fact that there are people that may not have any symptoms but can contribute to transmission. Therefore, the rationale behind this thinking is that these asymptomatic carriers will not be able to transmit the virus if they are wearing masks. In such a scenario, if everyone wears a mask, individuals protect one another, reducing overall community transmission.

However, such recommendations need careful consideration as they could cause even worse shortages of N95 and other medical or surgical masks for health care workers, who need them most.

What does the science say when it comes to wearing a cloth mask if you are not showing symptoms?

Cloth masks can be worn if it is not possible to practice ‘physical distancing’ of 2 metres, for example, in public transit or places where it is not possible to maintain this distance (grocery stores or pharmacies).

Cloth masks are now the current recommendation of both the US CDC and of Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer.

These masks can act as a barrier to prevent a person from spreading droplets to others, especially if the wearer exhibits no symptoms of the virus (asymptomatic carriers). However, cloth masks are not as effective as surgical or N95 masks and do not provide any protection from the virus for the person who is wearing them.

In addition, wearing cloth masks are not a replacement for other preventive measures, such as frequent handwashing and physical distancing.

How many times can a mask be worn by an individual before it needs to be replaced?

Face masks are not meant to be used more than once. If the face mask is damaged or soiled, or if breathing through the mask becomes difficult, the face mask should be removed and discarded.

N95 masks are also ‘single use’ and should be discarded after each use. The mask should also be discarded when it becomes damaged or deformed, no longer forms an effective seal to the face, becomes wet or visibly dirty, if breathing becomes difficult, or if it becomes contaminated with blood, respiratory or nasal secretions, or other bodily fluids.

Zahid Butt is an associate professor in the School of Public Health and Health Systems who specializes in the syndemics (a framework to understand disease and health conditions that cluster in certain populations) of infectious diseases.

Environment Ecology Lab offers 'Get Back To Nature' Series

by Siobhan Mullally.

According to the Faculty of Environment’s Ecology Teaching lab, staying at home means an opportunity to reconnect with our surrounding natural world. With our current situation, it is still possible to continue connecting with nature and the outdoors in isolation. We can do so safely during this time without sacrificing our ability to learn and experience the world around us.

#GetBackToNature is an initiative rooted in our passion for learning and teaching others about ecology. We want to ensure that people are being safe and staying healthy, without sacrificing their connection to nature. One way we are keeping this momentum is through our social media series: #GetBackToNature. Through our #GetBackToNature posts, we want to reach out to as many people as we can and plant seeds. We hope to plant ideas in people’s minds about how they can continue learning and experiencing nature even in isolation and allow those experiences to grow. Over the next several weeks, we will share ideas and tips for our community. Even from the comfort of your own home, you can learn about ecology and your natural world.

The Ecology Lab has traditionally facilitated experiential learning through their support of lab and field course activities, workshop offerings and outreach programs. Going out in the field, conducting hands-on lab analysis, and learning about ecological processes interactively have always been core to our operations. We have established a plan that will continue to provide an active learning experience and offer alternatives to actively engage our community.

Whether it is backyard bird watching, being a citizen scientist, in-house science experiments, or listening to ecology podcasts, we hope people continue connecting with nature and take this time as an opportunity to learn and experience the world around them. Experiential learning thrives!

Facebook: @UWaterlooEcologyLab

Instagram: @uwecologylab

Twitter: @UWEcologyLab

Waterloo professor receives Philip K. Dick citation; other speculative statements

Associate Professor of English Sarah Tolmie’s novel about the history of science, The Little Animals, was just awarded the Special Citation at the 2020 Philip K Dick Awards. The novel, published in 2019 by Aqueduct Press, is about Antoni Van Leeuwenhoek, pioneer of the single-lens microscope and one of the founders of microbiology. The awards ceremony is available on livestream and Professor Tolmie’s five-minute reading is at the 38:27 mark.

The Philip K. Dick Award is presented annually with the support of the Philip K. Dick Trust for distinguished science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States during the previous calendar year.

While we're on the subject of sci-fi, or speculative fiction, or S-F, or whatever it's known as these days, Waterloo alumnus, blogger, and casual Theatre Centre employee James Nicoll has been nominated for a Hugo Award in the Best Fan Writer category. 

Waterloo staff who would like to keep up with University of Waterloo Staff Association (UWSA) communications are invited to check out the association's blog, where news about UWSA's latest advocacy efforts can be found.

The Centre for Teaching Excellence will be offering Remote Course Design Essentials (CTE8000) on LEARN on Wednesday, April 15. "Remote Course Design Essentials (ReCoDE) guides participants through a series of self-paced, asynchronous tasks designed to help instructors prepare to teach remotely," says a note from CTE. "Participants will discuss remote teaching principles and will align key learning outcomes to assessments and teaching activities. There is also a strong emphasis on using LEARN effectively, including understanding its assessment and teaching tools. In addition, synchronous components will be incorporated to allow for small group discussions with other participants and the facilitator, to exchange feedback, to ask questions and share course design ideas."

What time is it? Time for some Good Buddies of the University

"My office buddies have been Jyn and Scarlett," writes Faith Ashford, residence life coordinator in Waterloo Housing. "As you can tell there is no such thing as personal space in this house."

"Dogs Charlie and Edwin sleep with me all day," writes Laurie Wilfong, financial coordinator in the Waterloo Forming and Crash Lab. "And Kitty Kaiya wanders in and out. When she wants in from outside she knows where to find me. I was on a Webex meeting here and she was getting impatient to come in."

"Attached is a picture of Youppi my 7 week old puppy," writes Rebecca Psutka, administrative co-ordinator in the Office of the Registrar. "I am trying to get him to help me do work but all he wants is belly rubs!"

"Ben is finding the 24/7 supervision of my activities exhausting," writes Profesor Maria Liston of the Anthropology department. "But he keeps trying."  

“This is Bao!" writes Suzanne Chung, data analyst in Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs. "He likes to join in on meetings and take meeting minutes! No guarantees on how those notes will turn out…”