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We’ve been saying this since April. Most epidemiologists knew this was necessary even then. It’s a failure of political leadership; a failure of science communication; a failure of manufacturing; but, it is still more necessary than ever.
hbr.org/amp/2020/05/a-…
2/ This was our piece in @HarvardBiz published on on May 1st.

We had been writing this and iterating new versions since March.

And we kept landing on the same: better masks. ASAP.
3/ We followed with a second piece this past June— same message, another month lost—> better masks. Without a vaccine, better masks are the most achievable way to substantially slow transmission and get us back into society.

hbr.org/2020/06/we-nee…
4/ Let’s be clear: this was not a failure of scientific information. It is a respiratory viral pathogen. It spreads via droplets and possibly via aerosols. To stop that, you need a mask that can filter effectively. We knew this; we have known this. For a long time.
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Abraar Karan
@AbraarKaran
This article has been making the rounds. It doesn’t actually answer whether a *substantial* portion of spread happens via aerosols. It says that aerosols likely play a role. This has been a largely consistent assumption.
#COVID19
nytimes.com/2020/07/04/hea…
2/ The only take-away for me from this is that we need better masks. We don't know if aerosols play a significant role. They might. They might not.

If they do, cloth masks are not enough. If they don't, better masks are still better.

hbr.org/2020/06/we-nee…
3/ In my mind, right now there are 3 pragmatic ways out of this:

1) Substantially increase masking, esp indoors + better masks

2) Consistent avoidance of high-risk, crowded indoor venues. Bars/gyms/indoor dining etc

3) Rollout of rapid diagnostic platforms
Read 5 tweets
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Abraar Karan
@AbraarKaran
1/ So we are making headway (maskway?) here in the US w/ more consensus that masks are key; collectively, we can drive transmission down big time.

But- if we accept that the average person (talking about myself here) can’t wear a mask 24/7...

a thread:

npr.org/2020/07/03/886…
2/ Masks are key bc they both block transmission to others & protect the wearer; they don’t do either perfectly (the better the mask, the better it works), but perfect is the enemy of the good-enough-to-keep-R0 below 1

So, masks > no masks. The most important point.
3/ We would greatly benefit from better masks. Folded up t shirts work- but the better the mask, the less transmission.

ESP for essential workers + those at high risk of bad disease, higher filtration masks are key.

hbr.org/2020/06/we-nee…
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Abraar Karan
@AbraarKaran
THREAD
1/ So getting people to wear masks is a big deal in the United States.

It is often presented as a simple issue of "just put on the mask"

Yet we know that adoption of any intervention is a very complex process, so to treat masks any differently is not helpful.
#covid19
2/ One key point is to understand the "why" behind people resisting masking.

Is it a difference in understanding of the benefit of masks?

Is it a matter of values?

Is it fear?

Politics?

This will be different for different people and communities.
3/ In public health, we employ KAP surveys to understand this:
-knowledge: what do people know about the topic
-attitude: what are their prevailing attitudes to it
-practice: how does that influence their actual practice

The same methodological approach needs to be applied here
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