May 18
In Feb 2020, some Anglophone media states that face masks hardly helps in keeping us away from virus, or that masks are not as effective as hand washing. This is the reason that, at least for some months, I also doubt whether face masks are effective. No wonder many Americans still refuse to wear them, since a wrong impression can take much longer to forget than to remember.
By now, one year later, it is overwhelmingly agreed that face masks are indispensable. I hereby try to trace how the collective opinions change.
“BBC: Why are people wearing masks and do they work?”
>> Dr Jake Dunning, head of emerging infections and zoonoses at Public Health England, said: “Although there is a perception that the wearing of facemasks may be beneficial, there is in fact very little evidence of widespread benefit from their use outside of these clinical settings.”
>> Dr David Carrington, of St George’s, University of London, seems to agree, telling BBC News that “routine surgical masks for the public are not an effective protection against viruses or bacteria carried in the air,” because they were too loose, had no air filter and left the eyes exposed.
>> First of all, most people buying masks are not getting one that stops the virus from reaching their mouth or nose anyway. The coronavirus is transmitted through droplets, not through the air. That means you cannot randomly breathe it in, but it also means the standard surgical mask you see people wearing will not help. Those masks are designed to keep droplets in—not to keep them out—and are intended to keep the wearer from getting others sick.
>> Not using—or disposing of—a respirator mask correctly can increase infection risk because it is literally trapping all the stuff in the air you’re trying to avoid, and many people end up touching their face absent-mindedly.
“CNN: Should I be wearing a mask?”
>> Tariro Mzezewa, a New York Times travel reporter, tells CNN the measure is not necessary unless you are sick or are interacting with sick people.
>> The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend Americans wear surgical masks in public. Surgical masks are effective against respiratory infections but not airborne infections.
Sketchbook 