In official World Health Organisation tweets and in a tweet by the surgeon general of the United States. Both have stated that buying masks for personal use is not recommended. The logic behind this decision is that in many cases the masks do not provide 100% cover from infectious particles. Not being 100% effective does not necessarily mean that it isn’t worth wearing a mask.
Comparing countries where masks culture is higher than those who do not. There is a clear difference in the number of cases. Most of which plateau much earlier then they’re non-mask wearing counterparts. This begs the question, why are they suggesting that masks should not be worn? The main reason is a fear that there will be a lack of masks being provided to frontliners. It is completely justifiable to provide the best protection to frontliners as should a shortage appear there should be a buffer to keep frontliners equipped. As a result of this, the simplified message of “Do not buy masks, they do not protect you” is misleading. This pushes us to disregard masks, when in actuality, they are useful in “flattening the curve”.
Masks help to flatten the curve in 3 ways. Firstly it decreases the virus spread by infected individuals, decreases the amount of new infections of uninfected individuals and thirdly, limits face contact. Flattening the curve relies on everyone doing their part and any aid would be helpful.
In the end, a key cultural difference and the availability of masks helped to control the spread of coronavirus. Masks are a key method of preventing transmission, so if you are looking for masks feel free to contact us.
