A perspective article in Science Magazine this week goes into these issues in depth. The lead author is Kim Prather, an Atmospheric Chemist who holds multiple appointments in Atmospheric Chemistry, Chemistry, and Biochemistry at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and UC San Diego with Coauthors from institutions in Taiwan, China, and UC San Diego. The article is entitled Reducing Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and can be freely accessed.
The article reviews the transmission of respiratory diseases in general and COVID-19 in particular. The latter represents a snapshot of knowledge at present, which is still evolving. It presents a strong case for universal mask wearing based on knowledge of aerosol physics and transport and epidemiological data. Recognition that masks reduce transmission is not new, so the main contribution of the article is providing a good summary of the reasons why. It also contains a nice visual illustrating mask impacts.
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| Source: Prather et al. (2020) |
The question of whether or not the government should mandate mask wearing is a political one and how you answer it depends on your values and perspectives. The questions of whether or not masks work is a scientific one and the answer to that is "yes." They are an important tool for containing COVID-19 and rebuilding the economy.
If you need a mask and live in Utah, the State will provide you with a free one. The order form is here: https://coronavirus.utah.gov/mask/.
Thermal imaging shows additional beneficial effects of mask use:
ReplyDeletehttps://en.as.com/en/2020/04/03/videos/1585908653_351225.html
You don't have to be a scientist to know that non-medical masks are a waste of time and may cause more issues than they prevent. How many times have you seen people touching their masks and face much more often than if they didn't have a mask. There's plenty of research out there showing their ineffectiveness. These viruses are way too small for cheap masks, scarfs, cloth to make a difference. Take a look at the science out there, it's easy to find. Here's the WHO.ORG statement: "As described above, the wide use of masks by healthy people in the community setting is not supported by current evidence and carries uncertainties and critical risks."
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you pointing that out.
DeleteThe WHO issued an update for that document on 5 June 2020 that is available at https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/advice-on-the-use-of-masks-in-the-community-during-home-care-and-in-healthcare-settings-in-the-context-of-the-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov)-outbreak
While there are potential drawbacks to mask wearing, the "WHO has updated its guidance to advise that to
prevent COVID-19 transmission effectively in areas of
community transmission, governments should encourage the
general public to wear masks in specific situations and
settings as part of a comprehensive approach to suppress
SARS-CoV-2 transmission."
There are plenty of details in that document, including some of the problems with mask wearing.
Ultimately, this is a problem in probability and statistics. No mask is 100% effective and the wearing of a mask can result in transfers through other pathways. In the net, it appears that masks are sufficiently effective to reduce community spread.