Should you wear a facemask during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Summary:
- There is no clear evidence “for” or “against” wearing facemasks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Do not use cloth masks unless they’re reinforced with 4 layers of paper towels or an accredited filter.
- Always remember to apply other preventive measures, with or without a mask.
- Follow your local health departments’ guidelines.
COVID-19 remains a massive world-spread burden. Since our last article, the number of infected people has doubled and the number of registered deaths has tripled [1]. Additionally, the amount of news coverage is growing very fast, often with confusing information.
One of the trending topics is protective masks and if/how/when we should use them. Unfortunately, the answer isn’t simple and even governments of different countries are approaching this problem differently [2]. Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recently updated its policies regarding the usage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for both the public and health care professionals [3, 4].
Even though WHO follows scientific updates to form these guidelines, they are not optimal. We are lacking sufficiently prepared studies focused on the use of PPE, as presented by a group from the United Kingdom [5]. Their research group put together studies to compare the available data regarding the usefulness of wearing protective masks. Their conclusion showed the minimal influence of masks on the spread of the infection in a social setting. On the other hand, they pointed out many limitations and biases in the examined publications.
With that in mind, it is important to remember that the purpose of medical masks is to stop droplets coming out from the user and not to protect the user from incoming droplets [3]. As medical masks do not tightly fit to the face, droplets containing viruses can still reach the mouth and nose of its healthy user [6]. At the same time, it is ill-advised to use cloth masks just on their own [7]. The study performed on medical professionals showed a significantly increased risk of infection of its users when compared to medical masks.
Given that there is not sufficient scientific data, we cannot tell you if you should or should not wear facemasks if there is no legal requirement to do so in your country. Still, we can help you decide what kind of mask to wear and how to properly use it.
- First and foremost, never forget about other preventive measures, like washing/disinfecting your hands, avoiding touching your face, social distancing, etc. [3].
- Do not use cloth masks on their own, as they may cause more harm to you [7]. If you have to use one, always enforce it with 4 layers of paper towel [8].
- Always wash/disinfect your hands before putting on and after taking off the mask.
- Make sure that your mask covers your nose and mouth as tightly as possible.
- Never touch your face or the part of the mask covering your face while wearing it.
- Never reuse single-use masks and do not attempt to disinfect or wash them.
- Change your mask whenever you feel that it is getting moist or wet.
Whatever you decide, always remember to follow the guidelines from official institutions responsible for public health in your country.
References:
- WHO, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report – 83. 2020, World Health Organization.
- Feng, S., et al., Rational use of face masks in the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 2020.
- WHO, Advice on the use of masks in the context of COVID-19. 2020, World Health Organization.
- WHO, Rational use of personal protective equipment for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and considerations during severe shortages. 2020, World Health Organization.
- Brainard, J.S., et al., Facemasks and similar barriers to prevent respiratory illness such as COVID-19: A rapid systematic review. medRxiv, 2020.
- Abd-Elsayed, A. and J. Karri, Utility of Substandard Face Mask Options for Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Anesth Analg, 2020.
- MacIntyre, C.R., et al., A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers. BMJ Open, 2015. 5(4): p. e006577.
- Ma, Q.X., et al., Potential utilities of mask wearing and instant hand hygiene for fighting SARS-CoV-2. J Med Virol, 2020.