May 2020

Despite homemade mask use in a number of areas of the world there has not been a lot of research. As I continued my research into the efficiency of these types of masks, I found some recent work that may expand your knowledge of a variety of materials.

While conducting research for a new agent-based model I came across a 2013 paper titled, "Testing the efficacy of homemade masks: would they protect in an influenza pandemic?" It details how well different materials fared when faced, no pun intended, with the task of stopping a virus.

Another useful bit of information that helps to maintain perspective is to know the impact of seasonal influenza...

Since 1900 there have been at least five viral epidemics or pandemics in the United States. The death toll varies and in some cases is disputed. To place these deaths in context it is important to know the population at the time and show deaths as a percentage of the population.

In my previous blog, I provided a model of COVID-19 based on the U.S. population. Running that model demonstrates how social distancing can flatten the curve by reducing the load on the U.S. health system. Here I provide a few data graphics from an analysis of the model results.