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Masks do not help prevent spread when worn by someone who is not infected (except by reducing hand to face contact to some degree). They help prevent infected f

by cek 7y ago

Masks do not help prevent spread when worn by someone who is not infected (except by reducing hand to face contact to some degree). They help prevent infected from spreading to others. [1] [1] https://www.cnet.com/how-to/which-face-masks-protect-against-coronavirus/ https://www.cnet.com/how-to/which-face-masks-protect-against...

adrianmonk 7y ago
Well, since we seem to have woefully inadequate testing capability right now, we don't know who is infected. If everyone wore masks, then the would be one way of making sure that infected people wore masks.
timcederman 7y ago
In this instance the infected person was the airport worker. So wouldn't that help limit transmission? And you also agree already that it reduces hand to face contact, further helping limit transmission. Also, it's not as clear-cut to say they do not help prevent spread. Doing a quick search and picking the very first article from https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=face+masks+influenza https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=face... says this: > Hand hygiene and facemasks [vs just hand hygiene, or nothing] seemed to prevent household transmission of influenza virus when implemented within 36 hours of index patient symptom onset. These findings suggest that nonpharmaceutical interventions are important for mitigation of pandemic and interpandemic influenza.
yibg 7y ago
I hear this a lot but the whole message isn’t consistent to me. Masks (mostly n95 respirators) aren’t effective for the general population but they are needed by healthcare workers? How is it they are at the same time effective and ineffective?
- timcederman 7y ago
  Yeah, it's disingenuous the way the media saying handwashing is the only important thing. Studies have shown surgical masks are actually pretty much just as good at mitigating virus spread (reduced virus exposure helps, even if you don't avoid it 100%) - https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/184819 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/18481...
pmorici 7y ago
This is false you should stop repeating it. The public shouldn't horde masks but that doesn't make it ok to go around saying they don't work. If you have to put yourself in a high risk situation like flying on a plane where you are going to be in a crowd where someone is potentially sick I would absolutely wear one. CDC's own guidance for preventing infections on commercial aircraft says as much. [0] https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/air/managing-sick-travelers/commercial-aircraft/infection-control-cabin-crew.html https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/air/managing-sick-travelers/c...
umanwizard 7y ago
Can you back this claim up with a peer-reviewed study? (i.e. not a C|NET article, and not a link to the totally discredited CDC)
rasz 7y ago
Who are you going to trust, random US journalists or Lancet? https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30520-1/fulltext https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6...
oefrha 7y ago
Even CNN which has been publishing “masks useless” articles every day for like at least two weeks published a piece a few days ago saying that while wearing masks may not be effective in the U.S., it could be effective in high population density countries with busy public transit (can’t find the link now). I’d say the crowded airport security lanes are definitely among the places where masks are warranted, even in the U.S.

by cek 7y ago

adrianmonk 7y ago

Well, since we seem to have woefully inadequate testing capability right now, we don't know who is infected. If everyone wore masks, then the would be one way of making sure that infected people wore masks.

timcederman 7y ago

In this instance the infected person was the airport worker. So wouldn't that help limit transmission? And you also agree already that it reduces hand to face contact, further helping limit transmission. Also, it's not as clear-cut to say they do not help prevent spread. Doing a quick search and picking the very first article from https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=face+masks+influenza https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=face... says this: > Hand hygiene and facemasks [vs just hand hygiene, or nothing] seemed to prevent household transmission of influenza virus when implemented within 36 hours of index patient symptom onset. These findings suggest that nonpharmaceutical interventions are important for mitigation of pandemic and interpandemic influenza.

yibg 7y ago

I hear this a lot but the whole message isn’t consistent to me. Masks (mostly n95 respirators) aren’t effective for the general population but they are needed by healthcare workers? How is it they are at the same time effective and ineffective?

timcederman 7y ago
Yeah, it's disingenuous the way the media saying handwashing is the only important thing. Studies have shown surgical masks are actually pretty much just as good at mitigating virus spread (reduced virus exposure helps, even if you don't avoid it 100%) - https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/184819 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/18481...

pmorici 7y ago

This is false you should stop repeating it. The public shouldn't horde masks but that doesn't make it ok to go around saying they don't work. If you have to put yourself in a high risk situation like flying on a plane where you are going to be in a crowd where someone is potentially sick I would absolutely wear one. CDC's own guidance for preventing infections on commercial aircraft says as much. [0] https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/air/managing-sick-travelers/commercial-aircraft/infection-control-cabin-crew.html https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/air/managing-sick-travelers/c...

umanwizard 7y ago

Can you back this claim up with a peer-reviewed study? (i.e. not a C|NET article, and not a link to the totally discredited CDC)

rasz 7y ago

Who are you going to trust, random US journalists or Lancet? https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30520-1/fulltext https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6...

oefrha 7y ago

Even CNN which has been publishing “masks useless” articles every day for like at least two weeks published a piece a few days ago saying that while wearing masks may not be effective in the U.S., it could be effective in high population density countries with busy public transit (can’t find the link now). I’d say the crowded airport security lanes are definitely among the places where masks are warranted, even in the U.S.