Great article by @zeynep and @jeremyphoward. To answer the question they get asked what and "where to buy proper masks," below is a thread. I have no financial interest in these recommendations. My family uses this near N95 solution that costs 17-60 cents/day.

I'll tell you what to do and then I'll explain why and provide the evidence.

You need a good quality surgical mask plus a mask fitter like the one made by @FixTheMask.

A disposable face mask made out of meltblown polypropylene layer that passes the candle test is likely good.
Those candle grade ones appear to cost 17 cents each on Amazon. Personally I prefer to buy ASTM Level 2 or 3 certified masks. Those run 40 to 60 cents. I prefer the Ambrust, which @FixTheMask found in their testing to offer the best filtration and

https://t.co/yFQHwB2hYw
decent breathability. My essential worker son wears this combo every day, all day. Testing of some masks here.
https://t.co/vRPAD0mCRU
Now on the mask brace or mask fitter (same thing). IMHO, the @FixTheMask one is a no-brainer to buy. It's the best one and right now there are only two you can buy. Here's a 3-minute video of why you should do this and why it works.
https://t.co/b5oWq16XQP
The mask brace is reusable and costs about $15. https://t.co/Q2ttrklaeu and folks at the University of Wisconsin show how you can make a DIY version. https://t.co/jFPoE88XQ1
But if I were you, just buy a @FixTheMask brace or a premade Badger Seal. I've not tried the latter, but both work well to protect you. The FixTheMask one looks better to me. The premade versions are so cheap why bother making one?
Let me also add that the Zubrex tested well by FixTheMask and costs 26 cents each. So if you're on a tight budget, that seems like the best value with quality assurance.
Now the evidence. @zeynep and @jeremyphoward linked to an U of Iowa paper. But another impressive one came out last week. “Strategies to minimize SARSCoV2 transmission -- combined impacts of ventilation and mask effective filtration efficiency.”
https://t.co/rGHeBPOOiq
Their findings are astonishing. They tested, using manikins, a room of socially distanced students and a teacher in a typical classroom. In one test, all occupants used typical cloth masks.
Then they did another test. They placed a mask fitter/brace plus a surgical mask on all the occupants. The combination of the fitter plus surgical mask reduced the transmission risk of infection by a factor of over 100 compared to typical cloth masks!
Here is the key take away: Conditional indoor infection probabilities as low as <0.0001 (0.01%) per hour might be reached with the use of surgical masks and mask fitters alone. No other swiss cheese interventions. Alone!! Obviously ventilation helps too.
From p. 67 of the preprint: With the use of a mask fitter, one can achieve an effective filtration efficiency approaching the material filtration efficiency for a mask.
Preprint's p. 66: Inexpensive disposable masks used with a mask fitter can achieve approximately 95% effective filtration efficiency in some cases.
From p. 65:

3. Leakage rates around masks are typically in the range of 20-80% when fit reasonably well to the user’s face, resulting in effective filtration efficiencies that are much lower than the material filtration efficiency.
4. With the use of a mask fitter, one can achieve an effective filtration efficiency approaching the material filtration efficiency for a mask. Inexpensive disposable masks used with a mask fitter can achieve approximately 95% effective filtration efficiency in some cases.
The beauty of this solution is we have it NOW. It can scale NOW. Surgical masks are easy to make at scale compared to N95s, which require specialized equipment.
If you don't want to read the whole paper, this thread has more. https://t.co/RvsuackOvB
Unfortunately, all the engineers who wrote the paper are not on Twitter, so none of the aerosol scientists IAQ experts on Twitter have tweeted it out yet. @linseymarr
@ShellyMBoulder
@jljcolorado
@Poppendieck
@ProfCharlesHaas
@kprather88
@PrasadKasibhat1
@Don_Milton
@vfmcneill
@CorsIAQ
@gcmorr
@j_g_allen
@CathNoakes

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शमशान में जब महर्षि दधीचि के मांसपिंड का दाह संस्कार हो रहा था तो उनकी पत्नी अपने पति का वियोग सहन नहीं कर पायी और पास में ही स्थित विशाल पीपल वृक्ष के कोटर में अपने तीन वर्ष के बालक को रख के स्वयं चिता पे बैठ कर सती हो गयी ।इस प्रकार ऋषी दधीचि और उनकी पत्नी की मुक्ति हो गयी।


परन्तु पीपल के कोटर में रखा बालक भूख प्यास से तड़पने लगा। जब कुछ नहीं मिला तो वो कोटर में पड़े पीपल के गोदों (फल) को खाकर बड़ा होने लगा। कालान्तर में पीपल के फलों और पत्तों को खाकर बालक का जीवन किसी प्रकार सुरक्षित रहा।

एक दिन देवर्षि नारद वहां से गुजर रहे थे ।नारद ने पीपल के कोटर में बालक को देख कर उसका परिचय मांगा -
नारद बोले - बालक तुम कौन हो?
बालक - यही तो मैं भी जानना चहता हूँ ।
नारद - तुम्हारे जनक कौन हैं?
बालक - यही तो मैं भी जानना चाहता हूँ ।

तब नारद ने आँखें बन्द कर ध्यान लगाया ।


तत्पश्चात आश्चर्यचकित हो कर बालक को बताया कि 'हे बालक! तुम महान दानी महर्षि दधीचि के पुत्र हो । तुम्हारे पिता की अस्थियों का वज्रास्त्र बनाकर ही देवताओं ने असुरों पर विजय पायी थी।तुम्हारे पिता की मृत्यु मात्र 31 वर्ष की वय में ही हो गयी थी'।

बालक - मेरे पिता की अकाल मृत्यु का क्या कारण था?
नारद - तुम्हारे पिता पर शनिदेव की महादशा थी।
बालक - मेरे उपर आयी विपत्ति का कारण क्या था?
नारद - शनिदेव की महादशा।
इतना बताकर देवर्षि नारद ने पीपल के पत्तों और गोदों को खाकर बड़े हुए उस बालक का नाम पिप्पलाद रखा और उसे दीक्षित किया।
I'm going to do two history threads on Ethiopia, one on its ancient history, one on its modern story (1800 to today). 🇪🇹

I'll begin with the ancient history ... and it goes way back. Because modern humans - and before that, the ancestors of humans - almost certainly originated in Ethiopia. 🇪🇹 (sub-thread):


The first likely historical reference to Ethiopia is ancient Egyptian records of trade expeditions to the "Land of Punt" in search of gold, ebony, ivory, incense, and wild animals, starting in c 2500 BC 🇪🇹


Ethiopians themselves believe that the Queen of Sheba, who visited Israel's King Solomon in the Bible (c 950 BC), came from Ethiopia (not Yemen, as others believe). Here she is meeting Solomon in a stain-glassed window in Addis Ababa's Holy Trinity Church. 🇪🇹


References to the Queen of Sheba are everywhere in Ethiopia. The national airline's frequent flier miles are even called "ShebaMiles". 🇪🇹