The question of masks
- It's only been a few months since SARS-CoV-2 appeared and the disease that causes it, COVID-19. It is not surprising, therefore, that those who work on them have more questions than answers, from researchers to authorities. Despite this, contradictory standards and recommendations create uncertainty. To avoid this, transparency and prudence are key, but they are not always sufficient.
A clear example is the question of masks. Even before the plague became a pandemic, the images coming from China showed that most people were masked by their nose and mouth. Moreover, in many areas of Asia, masks are commonly used to protect themselves from contamination, for example, and because they remember other plagues that have suffered there, such as SARS.
But regardless of habits, it is to be assumed that masks should be useful to prevent access to any pathogen that attacks the respiratory system, since they have been designed for this purpose. Those who have sought information, moreover, have easily learned that they are of all kinds: some have filters that serve not to infect oneself, others are simpler and do not filter the viruses that come from outside, but they are able to stop the droplets that one has eliminated and therefore avoid infecting others.
When the plague came to Europe and became a pandemic, it became clear that it was not enough to meet the demand for a mask. What is more, they are not enough to ensure the safety of health workers. As with diagnostic tests, it is reasonable to target the existing material to those most in need (health workers, patients and those with direct contact). However, confusing information has also been provided to citizens, as well as through official sources.
In particular, they have insisted that face masks are not necessary. Since the virus is transmitted through droplets that spread when coughing, has the WHO recently confirmed this? Not from the air, those responsible have ensured that it is more effective to leave space between people and wash their hands and surfaces than to do it with masks. They also suggest that they can be harmful: that they can give a sense of misleading security, that there is a lot of risk of misuse, that they can generate stigma…
The scientific journal The Lancet discusses the recommendations of the WHO and several governments on the use of face masks: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, United States, United Kingdom and Germany.
Among the main conclusions, he highlights: “Evidence shows that COVID-19 can be transmitted before symptoms appear, so group transmission can be reduced if all people, including those who have been infected but are asymptomatic and can spread, wear face masks.”
Most asymptomatic people do not have the ability to know if we are infected by the virus, because there are no tests or tests to diagnose everyone, so it would be more prudent for all of us to use face masks.
But there's a problem. At the University of Navarra 40 types of masks have been analyzed and the importance of the use of homologated masks has been highlighted. Hand-in-hand practitioners have warned that they provide limited protection and that they can lead to supposed misleading safety. They say it's important that they get right: if they don't adapt well, they're useless. And there are no face masks approved for everyone.
