Hospitals and Healthcare

Amid an uptick in Covid infections, administrators, staff and patients are divided over the need for masks in health care settings.

N95s are good. Some scientists want to do much better.

They’ve stopped short of mandates, but authorities and experts are strongly suggesting it’s time to cover our mouths and noses again to prevent COVID infection. This time, reach for a respirator.

The pandemic has seen a lot of changes, but one thing that's remained the same for the past two years is face mask technology: we're still using old designs. But that might be about to change.

Masks, in theory, are one of the simplest pandemic-times interventions to hold on to. They are “the low-hanging fruit,” says the Emory University immunologist Anice Lowen, because, unlike shutdowns or restrictions on indoor gatherings, they don’t disrupt our daily routines. In an ideal world, several epidemiologists told me, people would mask in crowded indoor spaces during flu season—if not all the time, then at least when case counts are on the rise. If that became the norm, Marr told me, “we would see huge reductions in colds and flus. No question.”

A century has passed since Dr. Wu Lien-teh's groundbreaking work established lifesaving blueprints for the control of deadly disease outbreaks, but his life and legacy are more important than ever amid rising anti-Asian bigotry and the defiant rejection by many of evidence-based public health guidelines, writes Jeff Yang on the occasion of Dr. Wu's being featured as a Google Doodle.

Wearing face masks may allow a tiny number of viral particles to slip through, possibly allowing our body to gain some sort of immunity.

Of the 14 masks and other coverings tested, the Duke University study found that some easily accessible cotton cloth masks are about as effective as standard surgical masks, while neck gaiters may be worse than not wearing a mask at all.

Contaminated masks are an infection risk. Here's how to clean them properly.

Health workers, who have long used face masks as part of their everyday work, share their tips on how to comfortably wear them and see where you're going.

Window masks have grown in popularity beyond the original intent; they allow others to see the mask wearer's facial expressions.

As Melbourne returns to lockdown, the evidence suggests routine mask-wearing - as seen in many countries but not so far in Australia - could be a valuable tool to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

The pandemic forced me to communicate differently.

I feel like I have a mild cold. But even more than that, I am angry.

Amanda Miha says Victorian home was following state and federal medical advice and updating that earlier would have saved lives

It might be tempting to yell 'bloody well wear a mask', but that will probably make little difference. Research shows there are more constructive ways to get your message across.

Plastic visors are widely used to protect people in shops, bars and beauty salons from the coronavirus. But do they really work against a virus thought to be airborne?

Nurses working in intensive care and emergency departments throughout Melbourne say it is frustrating to hear members of the public complain about wearing light masks for brief periods, when they are forced to wear uncomfortable PPE for hours a day.