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Wearing a mask not only protects others from the spread of Covid-19, but it also protects the wearer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday in its strongest post to date on face coverings. .
The CDC also said that “adopting universal masking policies can help avoid future lockdowns,” especially when combined with a doubling of the mitigation strategies available to virtually all Americans: physical distancing, washing. hands and ventilation.
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SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, is spread primarily through respiratory droplets, especially when people cough, sneeze, sing, speak, or even breathe. Infectious disease experts have long said that when a person covers their mouth and nose, it protects those who are nearby. The CDC report estimates that more than 50% of transmissions come from asymptomatic people or people who are infected but have not yet developed symptoms.
When the CDC first urged Americans to wear face masks in public in the spring, indications were that it was protecting others. But it is increasingly clear that a mask can also offer protection to the wearer.
“Studies show that fabric mask materials can also reduce user exposure to infectious droplets through filtration, including filtration of fine droplets and particles smaller than 10 microns,” wrote the authors of the report. .
Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, agreed that it is increasingly clear that the benefit of wearing masks is a “two-way street”.
“Recent data has now shown that in fact there is also the added benefit of protecting you from droplets and viruses that come your way,” Fauci said Tuesday on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports”.
“You protect others,” he said. “Their masks protect you. And your mask protects you too.”
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It was hesitant to say that masks provide this advantage, “not because they don’t protect the wearer so much, but because the exact degree of wearer protection is not as clear,” said Dr John O ‘ Horo, an infectious disease specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
But O’Horo added that it makes sense to assume that the masks can actually protect against inhaling large droplets; this is one of the reasons why healthcare workers regularly wear masks.
Infectious disease physicians who have urged the CDC to change the message around the masks believe it will be a more effective public health strategy. “I am delighted that this is happening now,” said Dr. Monica Gandhi, professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. “I think it helps people comply with regulations if they think it helps them.”
The new report is part of a growing trend to require the use of a mask. President-elect Joe Biden pleaded with all Americans to cover their faces in order to slow the spread of Covid-19. The Infectious Diseases Society of America tweeted praise for the governor of Utah for issuing a mask warrant, and urged “all governors who have not yet adopted a mask warrant to do so.”
And starting Wednesday, all Iowans over the age of 2 are encouraged to wear masks when gathering indoors with at least 25 people.
The CDC report also highlighted an economic analysis from Goldman Sachs released in June that “increasing universal masking by 15% could avoid the need for lockdowns and reduce associated losses to as much as $ 1 trillion or so. 5% of gross domestic product “.
Which masks are the most effective?
The type of mask seems to make a difference. “Try to get at least a two-ply fabric mask,” says O’Horo, “and make sure it’s well woven.
Dr Scott Segal, president of anesthesiology at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, NC, agreed that tissue quality is important.
One test is to hold a mask to one light. Segal suggested switching to masks that allow light to delineate individual fibers in the fabric.
Segal teamed up with the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine to test a variety of fabrics to see which not only allowed breathability, but also filtered out small particles. The team has previously found that the best masks are made from two layers of thick “quilted cotton” with a thread count of at least 180.
“If you’re going to wear a mask, you might as well wear one that offers as much protection as possible,” Segal said.
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