CDC now says masks protect carriers of Covid-19

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The sheet masks act as “source control” to block virus particles exhaled by the wearer and provide “filtration for personal protection” by blocking infectious droplets entering from others, the CDC said in its new guidelines.

The new guide cites a number of studies showing that masks reduce the risk of transmitting or catching the virus by more than 70% in various cases. A study found that the mutual use of masks helped prevent two infected hairdressers from transmitting the virus to 67 clients who were then interviewed. Another followed infected people who spent more than 10 hours on flights without infecting other passengers when masks were used.

In multiple scenarios, when officials told people to wear masks, infections and deaths declined dramatically, the CDC noted.

“Adopting universal masking policies can help avoid future lockouts, especially when combined with other non-pharmaceutical interventions such as social distancing, hand hygiene and adequate ventilation,” said the CDC.

The agency cited an economic analysis that found that a 15% increase in universal masking could prevent losses of up to $ 1 trillion.

“The relationship between source control and personal protection is likely complementary and possibly synergistic, so that individual benefit increases with increasing use of the community mask,” the CDC said.

Some fabric masks are almost as good as surgical masks at blocking droplets, the CDC said. Polypropylene can generate a static charge that traps particles, the CDC said, while silk could repel wet droplets and be more comfortable.

“Multiple layers of fabric with a higher number of threads have demonstrated superior performance compared to single layers of fabric with a lower number of threads, in some cases filtering out nearly 50% of fine particles less than 1 micron”, the CDC said.

Amid coronavirus outbreak, health officials urge people to wear masks as a sign of respect

“It’s a two-way street,” Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on MSNBC on Tuesday. “You protect others, their mask protects you and your mask protects you too.”

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