IFRAME: https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-W7SZB6C _______________ (BUTTON) Search * Agenda * Platforms * Reports * Events * Videos * Language English Language English + English + Español + Français + 中文 + 日本語 * Sign In We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated Cookie Notice. I accept World Economic Forum Agenda Platforms Reports Davos 2021 Videos Language English * English * Español * Français * 中文 * 日本語 Sign-in Search [cancel-13f58202dff932876cd3c32f438c9f30787bb208826f1fa4c2eb69ae1f1c6e8 a.svg] _______________ (BUTTON) Search * Global Agenda * COVID-19 * Global Health * Healthcare Delivery Coronavirus: here’s what you need to know about face masks [large_ytfFBauwoCC3p1LvUB74uV5xWhBJRCcZCj0S8WYyhbQ.JPG] Security personnel wearing face masks following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak stand guard outside the Great Hall of the People before the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing, China May 21, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins - RC2USG9B4EIZ Masks are becoming a common site all across the world. Image: REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins 22 May 2020 1. Douglas Broom Senior Writer, Formative Content The World Economic Forum COVID Action Platform [responsive_medium_sN3ZBJodY17GnhXs_Gl8XJfS-zVCyvyx_cbueQLbZxE.png] [responsive_medium_sN3ZBJodY17GnhXs_Gl8XJfS-zVCyvyx_cbueQLbZxE.png] Learn more [further-reading-arrow--grey-36cab81d11904deaeb07ca52a6feb4e3aec296b0cf d62e20f358bb1e6c5bf9ca.svg] Most Popular [5vIG2w1Eaajt0i-H7mt2c2CgP68ewn5ue8XX_DdFUCM.JPG] [5vIG2w1Eaajt0i-H7mt2c2CgP68ewn5ue8XX_DdFUCM.JPG] Vaccines may soon allow international travel to take off again. But will it ever return to normal? Joseph M. Cheer, Colin Michael Hall, and Jarkko Saarinen · The Conversation 15 Jan 2021 [WHYg1EfEVW4dlX6umwEdjskPMOEap3P10moBu9v_nYY.jpg] [WHYg1EfEVW4dlX6umwEdjskPMOEap3P10moBu9v_nYY.jpg] How the pandemic will shape the workplace trends of 2021 Dave Cook · The Conversation 12 Jan 2021 [WujhSMIPKBFSQjySuH0WG-tz1ByFLCQkM7ZLauXn4No.JPG] [WujhSMIPKBFSQjySuH0WG-tz1ByFLCQkM7ZLauXn4No.JPG] Everything you need to know about the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine Michael Head · The Conversation 13 Jan 2021 More on the agenda [further-reading-arrow-598edec070a1d83510192900304a2df7edbcfab53ecc4502 b1c4c2b19fc4b31f.svg] Forum in focus The Forum’s COVID Action Platform: Over 1,500 organizations are working together in response to the pandemic [vO0Qz_qOz0IxwqRvw9SNmyckuhQclllCqYTwlCNs7IQ.jpg] [vO0Qz_qOz0IxwqRvw9SNmyckuhQclllCqYTwlCNs7IQ.jpg] Read more about this project [further-reading-arrow--grey-36cab81d11904deaeb07ca52a6feb4e3aec296b0cf d62e20f358bb1e6c5bf9ca.svg] Explore context [tmap-icon-2045d4d484cd2c52255f705c433a7290911308b18f88496a3163e92d39ee 491e.svg] COVID-19 [g2GfxALlvjmupS0LuUlSEcQRzsNbb948VPCJXuW3Qeo.PNG] [g2GfxALlvjmupS0LuUlSEcQRzsNbb948VPCJXuW3Qeo.PNG] Explore the latest strategic trends, research and analysis [further-reading-arrow--grey-36cab81d11904deaeb07ca52a6feb4e3aec296b0cf d62e20f358bb1e6c5bf9ca.svg] * Due to COVID-19, face masks are in high demand across the globe. * Over 50 countries have made mask-wearing in public mandatory. * China still makes most masks, but new makers are entering the market. The humble face mask has become sought after across the globe. Supplies of masks have run low as coronavirus has spread, and fashion houses and carmakers are among the companies that have started making them to protect health workers and others as restrictions begin to ease in many places. Have you read? * Face masks: What the Spanish flu can teach us about making them compulsory * Coronavirus: Here are 4 ways to make your own facemask * What is the evidence on wearing masks to stop COVID-19? Many governments are making the wearing of masks a precondition for lifting lockdowns, allowing people to return to shops, offices and factories. And with any potential vaccine many months away, billions more masks are going to be needed. As a result, prices are soaring. Basic surgical masks that until last year cost a few cents are now retailing at as much as $1.25 each in some places and prices of respirator-grade N95 masks, which stop at least 95% of particles, have been reported as high as $25. As coronavirus continues to claim lives across the globe, here’s what you need to know about face masks. [mTjitg2pJN5vUJAAy_EsWzK0A9ME5j2YqNtOEzcmp7g.png] masks WHO advice face masks PPE personal protective equipment Coronavirus china virus health healthcare who world health organization disease deaths pandemic epidemic worries concerns Health virus contagious contagion viruses diseases disease lab laboratory doctor health dr nurse medical medicine drugs vaccines vaccinations inoculations technology testing test medicinal biotechnology biotech biology chemistry physics microscope research influenza flu cold common cold bug risk symptomes respiratory china iran italy europe asia america south america north washing hands wash hands coughs sneezes spread spreading precaution precautions health warning covid 19 cov SARS 2019ncov wuhan sarscow wuhanpneumonia pneumonia outbreak patients unhealthy fatality mortality elderly old elder age serious death deathly deadly This is how prevalent mask wearing is around the world. Image: Statista What does the World Health Organization say about masks? The World Health Organization says if you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with COVID-19. The WHO also advises people to wear one if they are coughing and sneezing, and says they are only effective if combined with frequent handwashing. Official advice varies from country to country. The UK government, for example, advises wearing a face covering in enclosed spaces where social distancing isn’t possible, like on public transport. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), similarly, recommends wearing masks in places where social distancing is not possible, such as shops, to slow the spread of the virus. Like the UK, it advocates simple cloth face coverings and says surgical masks should be reserved for health workers. Where are masks compulsory? More than 50 countries are reported to have made it compulsory to wear a face mask in public places, including Venezuela and Vietnam, which were among the first to act. The Czech Republic was the first European nation to mandate masks, on 18 March. Some airlines, including American, Lufthansa, and United, have announced that face masks will be compulsory in terminals as well on flights. Eurostar, which operates train services between England and France, also requires passengers to wear masks. Many countries impose fines for failing wear masks and some are distributing them free. In France, failure to wear a mask on public transport can incur a fine of up to $145. Where are the world's masks being made? Last year, China made just over half of the world’s masks. This year, the share is expected to climb to 85%. The global market for disposable masks was worth $75 billion in the first quarter of this year and is expected to grow at a rate of over 50% for the next seven years. Since the pandemic started, many companies have started producing masks, including carmaker BMW, which has said it will produce millions of masks to protect its staff and other people against the virus. Around the world, entrepreneurs have started making masks, but not all are of sufficient quality to meet international standards. The United States, the Netherlands, Spain and Turkey have all rejected imported batches on quality grounds. What is the World Economic Forum doing about the coronavirus outbreak? Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic requires global cooperation among governments, international organizations and the business community, which is at the centre of the World Economic Forum’s mission as the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. IFRAME: //www.youtube.com/embed/NAKr79WQsJ8?enablejsapi=1&wmode=transparent How can we collaborate to stop the spread of COVID-19? Since its launch on 11 March, the Forum’s COVID Action Platform has brought together 1,667 stakeholders from 1,106 businesses and organizations to mitigate the risk and impact of the unprecedented global health emergency that is COVID-19. The platform is created with the support of the World Health Organization and is open to all businesses and industry groups, as well as other stakeholders, aiming to integrate and inform joint action. As an organization, the Forum has a track record of supporting efforts to contain epidemics. In 2017, at our Annual Meeting, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) was launched – bringing together experts from government, business, health, academia and civil society to accelerate the development of vaccines. CEPI is currently supporting the race to develop a vaccine against this strand of the coronavirus. (BUTTON) Show How many masks are needed? And how many are being produced? The WHO estimates 89 million medical masks are needed globally every month while the coronavirus pandemic lasts, together with 76 million examination gloves and 1.6 million goggles and face visors. At the start of the outbreak, US officials estimated that the country needed 300 million face masks to cope with COVID-19 in 2020. Since then, US manufacturer 3M, which made 550 million masks in 2019, has said it will produce 2 billion this year at plants around the world. In February, China’s daily production of all types of masks soared from around 10 million to 115 million by the end of that month, and production has expanded 12-fold since the pandemic started. Supplies of masks have been disrupted by countries banning exports or requisitioning supplies within their borders and shortages of specialist fabrics used to make the more advanced types of respirator masks. What types of face masks are being used? Manufacturers across the world are producing three types of mask – surgical masks, respirators and cloth face coverings. Surgical masks are designed to protect patients from infection during surgery, for example if a doctor coughs in an operating theatre. Respirators, on the other hand, filter air passing in and out of the mask. Cloth face coverings, including home-made masks, are recommended by the CDC as they help stop the wearer from spreading infection. But COVID-19 is spread by micro-droplets emitted when breathing which can enter the body through the eyes and mouth. To combat micro-droplets, health workers wear visors for eye protection. The WHO says the best way to avoid infection is to wash hands frequently and avoid touching your face. A mask may help you stop spreading the virus but hygiene is the key to avoiding getting it, it says. IFRAME: https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/track s/825039268&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_com ments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=tr ue Share License and Republishing World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use. Written by Douglas Broom, Senior Writer, Formative Content The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum. 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