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“Consistent and correct use of face masks is a key public health strategy to reduce respiratory transmission of SARS-CoV-2, especially in light of estimates that around half of new infections are transmitted by people who have no symptoms, ”summarizes the CDC. orientation readings.
The CDC has gradually strengthened its recommendations on the use of masks. “There is compelling evidence now supporting the benefits of cloth masks both for source control (to protect others) and, to a lesser extent, for wearer protection,” wrote CDC’s Margaret Honein, Dr Henry Walke and his colleagues.
The masks work so well that some communities should consider distributing them, the CDC team said.
“A community-level plan for the distribution of face masks to specific populations, such as those who may encounter barriers to access, should be developed,” the CDC team wrote in the agency’s weekly report. .
“As the highest risk of transmission has been documented among household contacts of patients with Covid-19, ensuring the safety of the home requires physical distancing, using the other public health strategies summarized here, and, in particular, the consistent and correct use of face masks (outside the household and in certain circumstances within the household) to prevent the introduction and transmission of SARS-CoV-2, ”they added.
“To preserve the supply of N95 respirators for health workers and other medical first responders, the CDC recommends non-valved, multi-layered fabric masks or non-medical disposable masks for community use,” the team added. .
“Within households, face masks should be used when a member of the household is infected or has recently been exposed to Covid-19”.
Physical distance is also important.
“Although the impact of physical distance is difficult to separate from other interventions, one study estimated that physical distance reduced the average number of daily contacts by up to 74%,” they added. Consistent physical distancing could stop the spread, the CDC said.
Crowded restaurants and events are particularly risky, the CDC team noted.
“Exposures in non-essential indoor environments and crowded outdoor environments present an avoidable risk to all participants,” they wrote.
“Places indoors, where distance is not maintained and where routine use of face masks is not possible (eg dining out), have been identified as high risk scenarios. Overcrowded outdoor events have also been linked to the spread of SARS-CoV -2, although it may be difficult to isolate the impact of crowded outdoor events from related indoor social interactions. “
Since 40% or more of all people with coronavirus infections don’t show symptoms, screening for symptoms – like temperature checks – doesn’t do much good, the team noted.
Additionally, tests are not always foolproof due to the possibility of false negatives. People therefore have to do everything: wear masks, stay away, ventilate indoor spaces as much as possible and wash their hands frequently.
Testing is important though. This is especially true for people who interact a lot with others and are at higher risk, the CDC team said. This includes people who work in dense environments or students.
Nursing home staff, for example, should be tested frequently both for themselves and not to pass the virus on to others.
And people need to get the results quickly so they can isolate themselves if they are infected – and notify their contacts so they don’t spread the virus unknowingly.
“These actions will provide a bridge to a future with wide availability and strong community coverage of effective vaccines, when the safe return to more daily activities in a range of settings will be possible,” the CDC team wrote.
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