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Mask - caring for others or an illusion of security?

The topic, of course, is holistic, but it has become painful, I can’t be silent.

I’m standing in a store near the counter, waiting for the seller to clean the fish. On the floor there is a red marking, which shows where those same one and a half anticoid meters end. But a woman in a medical mask does not pay attention to her, she urgently needs to buy trout. If there was an antiviral siren that would signal a dangerous rapprochement between the two individuals, then it would already scream to the pain in the ears. I am not particularly prone to panic, but the background is such that even I feel a little anxious.

- Sorry, could you move away, there is a marking on the floor.

She can not. In response, he flies to me:

“Why aren’t you wearing a mask here?”

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That is, the logic is this: I put on a mask and everything in the house, I can breathe in the back of other people and touch everything around, because I reliably protected my mucous membranes! I can walk like this with coronavirus, because not a single drop from a cough can penetrate a thin tissue in which I have been walking for the third day in a row!

Why am I not wearing a mask? This is a separate topic for discussion (in general, certain conclusions can be drawn from the arguments below). Here I would like to discuss something else: for many people, a face mask creates a false sense of security and increases the risk appetite .

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COVID-19 — , SARS-CoV-2 (2019-nCoV). — , /, .



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A study of German psychologists immediately came to mind, who came to the conclusion that wearing a bicycle helmet increases the risk appetite even in situations not related to driving a bicycle. Yes, you heard right. Read about this experiment, fascinating reading (the original here , in Russian can be found here )

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(Real photo from the experiment)

It is clear that this is not an argument in favor of the initial thesis, but rather a funny parallel, so let's get back to the uniform for the campaign in public places in the conditions of so-called self-isolation.

Wearing a mask does not protect against infection and is not enough to prevent the spread of the virus, if you do not follow other recommendations, namely, do not wash your hands regularly and do not maintain social distance. What is the use of the mask if you scratched your nose under it, and then pressed the elevator button with your finger, which your neighbor touched after you, and after that stretched your eyes to scratch.

Wearing a medical mask is one of the prevention measures that can limit the spread of certain respiratory viral diseases, including COVID-19. However, the use of a mask alone is insufficient to provide an adequate level of protection, and other measures should also be adopted. Whether or not masks are used, maximum compliance with hand hygiene and other IPC measures is critical to prevent human-to-human transmission of COVID-19.

Wearing a medical mask is one of the preventive measures that can limit the spread of certain respiratory viral diseases, including COVID-19. However, using a mask is not enough to provide an adequate level of protection, other measures must be followed. Regardless of whether a person wears a mask, maximum compliance with hand hygiene and other measures is critical to preventing the transmission of COVID-19 from person to person.

( WHO recommendations )

The use of medical masks in the community may create a false sense of security […] neglect of other essential measures, such as hand hygiene practices and physical distancing may lead to touching the face under the masks and under the eyes, result in unnecessary costs.
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In addition, the mask becomes an absolutely useless accessory if you do not follow the instruction manual for this simple item. While walking to the nearest store, pay attention to passers-by. Who has a mask on his chin, who has dangles on one ear. It is understandable - to breathe in it for a long time is unbearable. I wonder what percentage of people regularly change the mask after each touch on it, and not wear it all day and wash it once a week ? Here, for example, as WHO recommends handling masks:

Place the mask carefully, ensuring it covers the mouth and nose, and tie it securely to minimize any gaps between the face and the mask. • Avoid touching the mask while wearing it. • Remove the mask using the appropriate technique: do not touch the front of the mask but untie it from behind. • After removal or whenever a used mask is inadvertently touched, clean hands using an alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water if hands are visibly dirty. • Replace masks as soon as they become damp with a new clean, dry mask. • Do not re-use single-use masks. • Discard single-use masks after each use and dispose of them immediately upon removal

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The degree of protection of the mask also matters. All these fashionable fabric masks with prints that even the companies from the “heavy luxury” category started to sew under the guise of do not prevent the spread of COVID-19, if you are really a carrier.

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The American CDC, which, unlike the WHO, still recommends wearing masks in public places, and he emphasizes that this is an “additional” measure, but not the main one:

Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.
A face fabric made from household items and ordinary materials at a low price can be used as an additional voluntary public health measure.

And leave N95 to the doctors:
WHO stresses that it is critical that medical masks and respirators be prioritized for health care workers. The use of masks made of other materials (e.g., cotton fabric), also known as nonmedical masks, in the community setting has not been well evaluated. There is no current evidence to make a recommendation for or against their use in this setting.

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In general, the conclusion is this: a mask can become an additional deterrent to the virus if you are an asymptomatic carrier and it is difficult to keep a distance of 1.5 meters at the moment. But it is much more important to observe the rules of hygiene and measures of social distance. The mask on the face is not a reason to “hammer” on washing your hands and stand up close to the person standing in front of the line. All health and respect for others!

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