In recent months, masks have become a very polarizing subject. Despite intense debates online, and the sometimes violent conflicts that arise in public over mask demands, the science behind mask-wearing is not at all controversial.
There is ample evidence to support wearing a mask to protect yourself or other people, and to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Here are some of the most common myths used to argue against mask wear, and why they are wrong.
Wearing a mask will not aggravate a coronavirus infection
Myth: If I have the virus, wearing a mask means that I will be re-exposed to viral particles that I exhale, which makes me sicker.
Fact: This claim was circulated in the pseudo-scientific documentary “Plandemic”, which was thoroughly debunked by scientists.
You can not re-infect yourself if you already have the virus, and it is impossible to “reactivate” it somehow in your body, research has shown.
“There’s no science behind it, and it’s completely false,” said microbiologist Dr. Miryam Wahrman, author of The Hand Book: Surviving in a Germ-filled World, previously told Business Insider about this claim.
More and more evidence suggests that once your body mounts an immune response to COVID-19, it – for a short time – is protected against reinfection.
Masks do not reduce your oxygen levels
Myth: I can not inhale mask. It can be dangerous to wear one because it can limit my oxygen levels.
Fact: Masks have been consistently shown to be safe, which is why they were already heavily used by medical personnel before the pandemic. The general rumor that they reduce your oxygen naturally level has been dispelled by multiple medical doctors.
Furthermore, despite claims that a mask could aggravate health conditions such as asthma, doctors have repeatedly stated that there is no legitimate reason for a medical exemption from wearing a mask. Strategies such as properly adjusting your mask and choosing the right type of mask can help.
You can even work in a mask until it becomes saturated with sweat, at which point it is less effective.
You should wear a mask, even if you have no symptoms
Myth: If I feel well and have no cough or fever, I do not need to wear a mask.
Fact: As many as 40% of people infected with the coronavirus show no symptoms. These asymptomatic carriers of the virus can still spread it to other people without ever knowing they were sick in the first place.
Even people who show signs of illness can be contagious before symptoms appear, research has shown.
This can be especially crucial for young people, as schools are struggling to reopen this fall, as there is some evidence that children are more likely to spread the virus without symptoms than adults.
This makes it especially important to have a consistent and comprehensive policy on mask wearing to help slow the spread of the virus as people return to public life.
Masks protect the people around you
Myth: Only people who are afraid of getting sick should wear masks. If I’m healthy or brave, I do not need to.
Fact: The primary benefit of wearing a mask is to prevent the people around you from getting sick, which is why everyone cares so much, according to research.
Masks work by blocking potentially contaminated respiratory particles from leaking into the surrounding air (and to other people) every time you cough, sneeze, breathe, or speak. They can also prevent you from inhaling some particles that have been expelled by other people.
Inconsistent reports about masks by health officials early in the pandemic may have contributed to this myth, leading some people to believe that healthy people do not need masks.
But based on the latest research, the most effective scenario for reducing coronavirus infection is when everyone involved has a mask.
In a recent CDC study, masks helped stop an outbreak at a hair salon in Missouri. Even though two employees were asymptomatic carriers of the virus, not one in 139 clients became ill because clients and stylists all wore masks.
Throat rashes do not increase your risk of viral infection
Myth: Research has found that neck gaiters, the fleece wraps often used in rounds, are worse for risk for coronavirus than no mask at all.
Fact: A study by Duke University researchers swept the Internet this month, reporting that they found that people wearing neck braces would be safer without wearing a mask.
But these results were framed out of context. The study did not look at the effectiveness of masks. In fact, researchers have been researching how to measure the effectiveness of a mask.
This is an important distinction because, as the researchers themselves note, the results were not intended to be comprehensive, but simply to prove that the methodology could work for large-scale studies on masks to help compare their effectiveness.
It is true that some masks may be more effective than others, but more research is needed to understand how neck gaiters measure up in terms of effectiveness.
The science is clear that wearing a mask can help reduce the spread of the virus
Myth: Wearing a mask is a matter of politics, freedom, or just “virtue signaling”, and makes no practical difference in whether people get sick or not.
Fact: The research is unique. Masks work to reduce the spread of infected viral particles, preventing additional cases of the virus. Recent research from the UK found that getting the entire population to wear masks could be enough to slow down the virus without using it on lockdowns.
The more people wear masks, the more effectively a community can manage the disease.
U.S. health officials, who are struggling to contain the coronavirus, are urging the public to wear masks after models suggested it could save thousands of lives.
Masks do not replace other precautionary measures, such as social distance and hand washing
Myth: When I wear a mask, I can be close to other people than in large groups without worries.
Fact: Although research is clear that masks work, masks alone are not enough. Health experts recommend other precautionary measures to slow the spread of the virus, such as washing your hands frequently and keeping at least a six-foot distance from others if possible.
Research has shown that these preventive measures, when combined, can significantly reduce the rate of transmission and save lives.
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