The coronavirus pandemic has plagued the world for just about all of 2020. Due to its novelty nature, new information about Covid-19 seems to appear almost every day. Perhaps the most significant of all is the importance of people wearing face masks.
A lot of counties globally have advised people to wear masks when stepping out in public. Some have proceeded to make it mandatory for people to have face masks so that the governments may prevent the spread of the virus.
However, in other counties such as the United States, people are reluctant about wearing masks. Some people believe the virus is a conspiracy theory, others believe they are not susceptible to the virus while other people simply don’t want to wear a mask or are totally apathetic to the whole thing.
Below we shall debunk some of the existing notions about the coronavirus, outline facts on how it spreads, and the necessity of having a face mask on.
How Covid-19 Spreads from Person to Person
Covid-19 is part of a family of viruses referred to as coronaviruses. This specific virus emerged from China as 2019 was drawing to a close. It causes similar symptoms as the flu; a dry cough, sneezing, fatigue, headaches, and body aches.
Severe infections can lead to respiratory disease and for a concerning number, the virus has proven fatal especially for the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions such as heart conditions, cancer, or diabetes.
A research study on over 70,000 confirmed coronavirus cases found little proof to claim that the virus is airborne. However, there was overwhelming evidence to suggest that the virus is passed across people mainly through physical contact and respiratory droplets.
Droplet transmission differs from airborne transmission in that the latter refers to the presence of bacteria remaining in the air for a substantial amount of time. As much as both methods are capable of transmitting respiratory diseases, it’s the size of the droplets that matter.
For Covid-19, the virus is spread through large respiratory droplets averagely sized between 5 and 10 micrometers. These are too large to stay suspended in the air and will thus fall on the ground or nearby surfaces.
Anyone who’s close enough for the droplets to fall on their mouth, nose, or eyes can be infected. You also run the risk of infection if you were to touch a surface with infected droplets and then proceed to touch your face.
To keep infection rates low, governments are asking people to wear face masks when in public. By wearing a mask, you’ll be protecting your face from droplets from people around you. Let’s take a deeper look into how masks work to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Importance of Face Masks in Flattening the Curve
When the news about the emergence of Covid-19 became public, medical experts had little information on how infected people could spread the virus. As such, face masks were not recommended at the beginning of the pandemic. It wasn’t known either that some people could have the virus and not experience any symptoms.
These revelations prompted governments and public health groups to recommend that people wear face masks to slow the spread of the virus. In the United States, researchers compared 15 states among which some had made masks mandatory and others had not.
Epidemiological data collected showed that in states where masks were mandatory, the infection growth rate began to slow down after about 5 days. three weeks after the mandate, the daily growth infection rate had slowed down by 2%. Countries around the world that have made wearing masks compulsory have also reported lower death rates.
The WHO recommends that people wear masks even if they are feeling healthy to not only protect them but other people as well. There’s a chance you might be infected and not even know because you’re asymptomatic. When you wear a mask you’ll reduce the spray of oral fluid droplets thus protecting other people in the process.
If you’re wondering if the type of mask you wear matters, the answer is not really. The most ideal mask is the one you can wear comfortably over your nose and mouth. However, being able to differentiate between the masks you can wear will help you make a better-informed decision on what mask will suit you best.
These are the masks you are likely to come across:
Surgical Masks
Surgical masks, or medical masks, are loose-fitting disposable masks. They prevent the wearer from breathing potentially infected air by filtering large particles as well as capturing the wearer’s respiratory secretion.
Cloth Masks
Cloth masks are made from cloth fabric and are effective in trapping oral droplets released when the wearer coughs, sneezes, or is direct speech with someone.
N95 Masks
N95 masks provide more protection than both cloth or surgical masks and are actually, a type of respirator. They are called ‘N95’ because they are made to restrict 95% of small particles.
Selected N95 masks come with valves that make breathing a lot easier for the wearer. However, some masks have one-way valves that release unfiltered air when the wearer exhales and as such, does not prevent the wearer from spreading the virus if they’re infected. Because of this, some places have proceeded to ban N95 masks.
Health care providers and workers have to be trained and fit-tested to use N95 respirators while administering care to people. N95 masks are also disposable just like surgical masks are, but researchers are working on ways to make them reusable.
Guidelines on How to Wear a Mask
Wearing a mask does not seem too complicated but you could be doing it wrong. Even worse, you could be doing it in a way that is leaving you vulnerable to the disease or potentially exposing other people. Here’s how you can do it without putting yourself as well as others at risk.
- First, clean your hands with soap and water or using a sanitizer.
- Inspect the mask for tears or holes.
- Orient the mass so that you don’t wear it upside down or inside out.
- Put the bands behind your ears. If the mask has ties, then wear it on the back of your head.
- Place it on the bridge of your nose and make sure that it’s fully covered your nose, mouth, and chin.
- Avoid touching the mask. If you have to, do so with clean hands even while removing it.
Misconceptions Regarding Face Masks
Because of governments’ previous attitudes toward face masks, people have had different understandings and approaches about wearing face masks. Here is some of the misleading information doing rounds online.
Masks Provide No Protection to the Wearer
Some people claim that neither surgical masks nor cloth masks will protect the wearer from contracting the coronavirus. While this is somewhat true because it is possible to attract the virus from other sources such as having poor hand hygiene, face masks do protect both the wearer and nearby people as illustrated above.
Some claims have suggested that only N95 masks are effective in limiting the transmission of the virus. While N95 masks are highly effective, so are cloth and surgical face masks. The aim is to prevent the release of virus-infected droplets into the air that can be breathed by other people.
You Don’t Have to Wear the Mask in Open Air Because the Sun Will Exterminate the Virus
A study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information found that 90% of coronavirus-causing germs will die after being exposed to direct sunlight for about 30 minutes. However, what people failed to catch is that it’s only applicable on surfaces. This means sunlight will not prevent anyone from spreading or contracting the virus.
You Don’t Need to Wear a Mask If You’re Not Showing Any Symptoms
Both asymptomatic and symptomatic cases account for most of the recorded Covid-19 infected numbers. It is, therefore, wise to have a mask on at all times regardless of whether you’re experiencing symptoms or not. It helps prevent both acquisition and potential transmission.
Wearing Masks is Counter-Productive
Some people believe that wearing masks will increase your risk of infection. But there is no existing evidence so far suggests that a person runs a high risk of infection by wearing a mask.
If you do not dispose of your mask and instead continue to use it more times than it perhaps should, the mask’s efficacy will wear down. However, even with one layer, masks absorb layers of oral droplets.
Wear a Mask and Help Flatten the Curve
Sneezing and coughing are both symptoms and dispersal agents of the coronavirus. As much as it all comes down to individual choice, it is very important for everyone to wear masks if we’re going to prevent the virus from spreading any further.
While N95 and surgical masks may be hard to find because of the high demand or they’re being reserved for health care workers, cloth masks can prove convenient seeing as they’re easy to make and can be washed for reuse. Just make sure when you DIY, you include several layers of fabric.