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This is the WHO's current advice: > Non-medical, fabric masks are being used by many people in public areas, but there has been limited evidence on their effec

by js2 6y ago

This is the WHO's current advice: > Non-medical, fabric masks are being used by many people in public areas, but there has been limited evidence on their effectiveness and WHO does not recommend their widespread use among the public for control of COVID-19. However, for areas of widespread transmission, with limited capacity for implementing control measures and especially in settings where physical distancing of at least 1 metre is not possible – such as on public transport, in shops or in other confined or crowded environments – WHO advises governments to encourage the general public to use non-medical fabric masks. This is confusing advice. Why don't they say "WHO has no recommendation about their widespread use" instead of "does not recommend." Are they really advising against masks? This is especially confusing combined with the rest of the paragraph. What is considered an area of widespread transmission? https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-on-covid-19-and-masks https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-on-covid-19-and... Unfortunately, you then have Fox News run an article like this: "WHO guidance: Healthy people should wear masks only when 'taking care of' coronavirus patients" https://www.foxnews.com/world/who-guidance-healthy-people-wear-masks-around-coronavirus-patients https://www.foxnews.com/world/who-guidance-healthy-people-we... Then you have the CDC recommending masks, while the POTUS refuses to do so. "CDC is additionally advising the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others." https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-si... So yeah, there's tribalism, but there's also conflicting advice from authorities. In my family, we wear masks when we're out among other people. I don't see how it does any harm, the argument for how it can slow the spread of my germs to others intuitively makes sense, is consistent with surgeons wearing masks to prevent infecting patients, and there's anecdotal and initial research that it helps. What is the WHO's problem?

YeGoblynQueenne 6y ago
>> Why don't they say "WHO has no recommendation about their widespread use" instead of "does not recommend." Are they really advising against masks? Yes, they are, because there are potential risks associated with wearing a mask, not only potential benefits: The likely disadvantages of the use of mask by healthy people in the general public include: • potential increased risk of self-contamination due to the manipulation of a face mask and subsequently touching eyes with contaminated hands;(48, 49) • potential self-contamination that can occur if non-medical masks are not changed when wet or soiled. This can create favourable conditions for microorganism to amplify;* • potential headache and/or breathing difficulties, depending on type of mask used; • potential development of facial skin lesions, irritant dermatitis or worsening acne, when used frequently for long hours;(50) • difficulty with communicating clearly; • potential discomfort;(41, 51) • a false sense of security, leading to potentially lower adherence to other critical preventive measures such as physical distancing and hand hygiene; • poor compliance with mask wearing, in particular by young children; • waste management issues; improper mask disposal leading to increased litter in public places, risk of contamination to street cleaners and environment hazard; • difficulty communicating for deaf persons who rely on lip reading; • disadvantages for or difficulty wearing them, especially for children, developmentally challenged persons, those with mental illness, elderly persons with cognitive impairment, those with asthma or chronic respiratory or breathing problems, those who have had facial trauma or recent oral maxillofacial surgery, and those living in hot and humid environments. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/advice-on-the-use-of-masks-in-the-community-during-home-care-and-in-healthcare-settings-in-the-context-of-the-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov)-outbreak https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/advice-on-the-use-of... Btw, this is not a new discussion. There has long been uncertainty about the benefits of wearing a surgical mask in the community, to protect oneself or others from diseases. e.g. see this article from The Conversation dated October 17, 2019 and titled Can surgical masks protect you from getting the flu?: https://theconversation.com/can-surgical-masks-protect-you-from-getting-the-flu-125023 https://theconversation.com/can-surgical-masks-protect-you-f...
- xscott 6y ago
  > potential increased risk of self-contamination due to the manipulation of a face mask and subsequently touching eyes with contaminated hands This one seems very real to me. I've always been a bit of a germophobe, so I'm careful not to touch my face after shaking hands or using a greasy door knob etc... Now that masks are required in my area (questionably enforced, but an actual mandate from the mayor), if I'm in the grocery store and my mask slips a little, I have to touch the mask to adjust/fix it. Of course my hands have been on the shopping cart and such. When my gym opens up, they're going to require masks too. I'm not sure how that's going to work when doing cardio. Am I going to be huffing out my sweat through the fabric on my face?
xellisx 6y ago
https://mobile.twitter.com/richdavisphd/status/1276629360212979712?fbclid=IwAR1qeWWRjskk6RvEApxb7LVEWynedr2maVzlgOC0MK9MuTOEzMeX_yQuGAc https://mobile.twitter.com/richdavisphd/status/1276629360212...
hadron_bumper 6y ago
100x this. And given how most people approach news like this ("...but WHO says mask don't work!") it will cause much harm. Mindbogglingly stupid on WHO's part.
- rstuart4133 6y ago
  > Mindbogglingly stupid on WHO's part. WHO is front organisations for a gaggle of medical professionals who between them have a lot of different opinions on the effectiveness of face masks. At the top sits a politician of sorts who job it is to seek a consensus on various topics. His job is comparable to asking computer professional to canvas Hacker News for the consensus position on which is better: react or vue, and report back to the masses on what they should use. Translation: right now asking for the consensus opinion of the medical fraternity on face masks is asking for something that doesn't exist. Come back in a few years time.

by js2 6y ago

YeGoblynQueenne 6y ago

>> Why don't they say "WHO has no recommendation about their widespread use" instead of "does not recommend." Are they really advising against masks? Yes, they are, because there are potential risks associated with wearing a mask, not only potential benefits: The likely disadvantages of the use of mask by healthy people in the general public include: • potential increased risk of self-contamination due to the manipulation of a face mask and subsequently touching eyes with contaminated hands;(48, 49) • potential self-contamination that can occur if non-medical masks are not changed when wet or soiled. This can create favourable conditions for microorganism to amplify;* • potential headache and/or breathing difficulties, depending on type of mask used; • potential development of facial skin lesions, irritant dermatitis or worsening acne, when used frequently for long hours;(50) • difficulty with communicating clearly; • potential discomfort;(41, 51) • a false sense of security, leading to potentially lower adherence to other critical preventive measures such as physical distancing and hand hygiene; • poor compliance with mask wearing, in particular by young children; • waste management issues; improper mask disposal leading to increased litter in public places, risk of contamination to street cleaners and environment hazard; • difficulty communicating for deaf persons who rely on lip reading; • disadvantages for or difficulty wearing them, especially for children, developmentally challenged persons, those with mental illness, elderly persons with cognitive impairment, those with asthma or chronic respiratory or breathing problems, those who have had facial trauma or recent oral maxillofacial surgery, and those living in hot and humid environments. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/advice-on-the-use-of-masks-in-the-community-during-home-care-and-in-healthcare-settings-in-the-context-of-the-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov)-outbreak https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/advice-on-the-use-of... Btw, this is not a new discussion. There has long been uncertainty about the benefits of wearing a surgical mask in the community, to protect oneself or others from diseases. e.g. see this article from The Conversation dated October 17, 2019 and titled Can surgical masks protect you from getting the flu?: https://theconversation.com/can-surgical-masks-protect-you-from-getting-the-flu-125023 https://theconversation.com/can-surgical-masks-protect-you-f...

xscott 6y ago
> potential increased risk of self-contamination due to the manipulation of a face mask and subsequently touching eyes with contaminated hands This one seems very real to me. I've always been a bit of a germophobe, so I'm careful not to touch my face after shaking hands or using a greasy door knob etc... Now that masks are required in my area (questionably enforced, but an actual mandate from the mayor), if I'm in the grocery store and my mask slips a little, I have to touch the mask to adjust/fix it. Of course my hands have been on the shopping cart and such. When my gym opens up, they're going to require masks too. I'm not sure how that's going to work when doing cardio. Am I going to be huffing out my sweat through the fabric on my face?

xellisx 6y ago

https://mobile.twitter.com/richdavisphd/status/1276629360212979712?fbclid=IwAR1qeWWRjskk6RvEApxb7LVEWynedr2maVzlgOC0MK9MuTOEzMeX_yQuGAc https://mobile.twitter.com/richdavisphd/status/1276629360212...

hadron_bumper 6y ago

100x this. And given how most people approach news like this ("...but WHO says mask don't work!") it will cause much harm. Mindbogglingly stupid on WHO's part.

rstuart4133 6y ago
> Mindbogglingly stupid on WHO's part. WHO is front organisations for a gaggle of medical professionals who between them have a lot of different opinions on the effectiveness of face masks. At the top sits a politician of sorts who job it is to seek a consensus on various topics. His job is comparable to asking computer professional to canvas Hacker News for the consensus position on which is better: react or vue, and report back to the masses on what they should use. Translation: right now asking for the consensus opinion of the medical fraternity on face masks is asking for something that doesn't exist. Come back in a few years time.