1/ I get that health care workers should be prioritized when it comes to wearing masks. And I get that there is a shortage, and that is very concerning and upsetting. I pray that changes in the coming days and weeks.
2/ However, the official messaging to the public that masks will not benefit them, and in fact, could harm them or that they are simply unnecessary, is extremely reckless and offensive in light of the CDC's own data (and common sense).
3/ I think it’s fair to caution the public not to hoard, & to let health care workers get them first. But I do NOT think the public should be lied to. This is a dire situation & we have a right to know the truth so we can make the best poss decisions for ourselves & families.
4/ For those that already have masks, you may want to know how much they can help. And if they help you not get sick, they will, in turn, help others not to get sick.
Here is some data:
Here is some data:
5/ “Donning a face mask — either a surgical mask or a P2/N95 respirator mask (high particulate filter mask) — boosts protection from severe respiratory illnesses such as influenza and SARS, say researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW).”
6/ “In the study, adult mask wearers in the home were four times more likely than non-wearers to be protected against respiratory viruses, including the common cold.”
7/ “The findings, detailed this week in Emerging Infectious Diseases, the journal of the CDC, have global implications and are particularly relevant to efforts to combat the spread of flu pandemics and other emerging respiratory diseases such as SARS."
8/ "We now have provided that evidence," she said. "Masks play an important role in reducing transmission if they are worn properly."
Last year, a CDC study found that wearing face masks & washing hands with alcohol-bases sanitizer cut down flu symptoms in a community by half."
Last year, a CDC study found that wearing face masks & washing hands with alcohol-bases sanitizer cut down flu symptoms in a community by half."
9/ "Only 25% of adult population wd have to wear masks in order to achieve significant net savings. One of the policy implications of our results is that people shld consider wearing masks, as is typically done in some Asian countries, to prevent the spread of airborne viruses.”
10/ “Although we used N95 respirators as the basis for out analyses, recent studies (Loeb et al., 2009) have shown that surgical masks and N95 respirators can provide similar protection.”
11/ “We can conclude from our model that facemasks are an effective intervention strategy in reducing the spread of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and are an extremely cost-effective tool to reduce economic losses due to illness."
14/ "...mask wearing was associated with reduced secondary transmission and should be encouraged during outbreak situations."
