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A number of common views on face masks have been dismissed by experts.
Covid masks remain a large part of everyday life at this time and many still choose to wear them.
It seems like it’s been a long time now since we started shooting masks as the coronavirus started to spread and we tried to do what we could to stop it, the Mirror reports.
But since then all kinds of beliefs have arisen, many of which are not correct.
Covid-19 is mainly spread from person to person through air and respiratory particles when an infected person speaks, sneezes, coughs, laughs, sings, eats or just breathes.
Read the latest coronavirus stories here
Masks are considered part of our defense against the virus, both to protect ourselves and to protect others.
However, there are some peculiar things about masks and their use, and here the experts have debunked some of the more common ones:
Claim: you don’t need to wear a mask if you are double-pricked
Answer: A person is considered to be fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving their second dose of vaccine or two weeks after receiving a single dose of the Janssen / Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
No vaccine can prevent you from contracting Covid or completely protect you from it, but it does decrease your chances of getting seriously ill.
Covid-19 is constantly evolving and changing, which scientists are constantly studying and learning new things about.
(Image: Hollie Adams / Getty Images)
Bertha Hidalgo of the University of Alabama at Birmingham said: “The immune-boosting abilities of vaccines vary from person to person.
“For example, we know that in people who are immunocompromised the vaccine may not elicit a strong immune response, at least compared to people who are not immunocompromised. “
So masking in a crowd or indoors with many other people not only serves to protect unvaccinated people, but it also protects vaccinated people for whom the vaccine is not as effective.
In addition, hiding yourself when you are with other people can also protect you.
Claim: only sick people should wear face masks
Answer: Healthy people who do not wear the mask defeat the goal of helping these so-called “sick people”, or those at risk.
As Covid-19 is spread from person to person through breathing, wearing a mask can act as a barrier.
This barrier prevents surrounding people from inhaling these respiratory droplets and becoming ill with a person deemed “healthy” who may be asymptomatic.
Reports have shown that wearing a cloth face mask protects others from exposure to a person’s droplets by 50-95%.
Claim: Unless your mask is N95, it does not work
Answer: An N95 mask is a respirator designed to achieve a very tight facial fit and effective filtration of air that is typically worn by healthcare professionals.
N95 masks are the best type of mask because they filter out 95% of particles – however, regular surgical masks also provide sufficient protection, as they are also around 95% effective.
Cloth masks are between 50 and 80% effective.
Statement: Wearing a mask increases carbon dioxide when breathing, which can make you sick
Answer: If wearing masks made people sick, healthcare workers would not have been able to work effectively as they have to wear masks for long periods of time on a daily basis.
Research has concluded that there is, in fact, no risk of lowering oxygen levels in healthy adults wearing masks, nor of raising carbon dioxide levels to unsafe levels.
Instead, carbon dioxide will diffuse freely through the mask when an individual breathes it in.
Claim: children don’t need to hide because they don’t get sick
Answer: The belief that children cannot get sick by contracting Covid-19 has now been refuted by experts, particularly in the wake of the Delta variant outbreak which has already seen adolescents hospitalized and caused deaths of children.
A small number of children have reportedly developed multisystem inflammatory syndrome, which is a dangerous disease linked to Covid-19.
Since it is scientifically proven that children can contract and spread the virus, it is crucial for them to wear the mask, as they often forget to cover their mouths when sneezing or to practice social distancing.
Claim: Soaking a mask in mouthwash or alcohol is an effective way to clean it
Answer: Most mouthwashes contain just under 30 percent alcohol, which is significantly less than the 70 percent minimum required to kill germs.
Regular alcohol such as vodka, which has an average concentration of 40 percent alcohol, is also not sufficient to properly disinfect a mask.
Reusable masks should be washed thoroughly with water and laundry detergent or soap.
Affirmation: It is not necessary to practice social distancing while wearing a mask
Answer: Social distancing while wearing a mask reasonably limits the spread of Covid-19.
Research has shown that face masks create a false sense of security that reduces compliance with other public health measures, including social distancing.
Additionally, an increase in Covid-19 infections has been linked to the violation of social distancing measures.
Complain: You don’t need to mask yourself when you are outside
Answer: The coronavirus can spread outdoors, as respiratory particles can still linger in the air outside and spread quickly, especially in windy conditions.
In fact, outdoor gatherings and large-scale events such as festivals have often been linked to an increase in Covid-19 infections.
For example, this year’s Boardmasters surf and music festival held in Newquay had at least 4,700 people tested positive for Covid-19.
Statement: it is not necessary to cover your nose while wearing a mask
Answer: Nasal neglect is dangerous because the nose has proven to be a key entry point for Covid-19.
Waradon Sungnak, immunologist at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: “The expression of these viral entry factors is high in the nose.
“So it’s a very easy place for the virus to come in, and then once it gets there, a place to replicate.
“So if there is a way for you to prevent that from happening, I think it’s worth it. So to me it doesn’t really make sense if you put on a mask, not to put a barrier on your nose. “
To learn more about common myths about the coronavirus and related issues, the World Health Organization has a helpful website.
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