Does a face mask protect me, or just the people around me?
It probably provides protection for both.
Studies on the new coronavirus and other germs show that wearing a mask helps stop infected people from spreading disease to others. Evidence also suggests that masks may offer some protection to the people who wear them.
The virus spreads from droplets that people spray when they cough, sneeze or talk. Surgical as well as cloth face masks can disperse most of these particles.
While some drops may still disperse, wearing a mask may reduce the amount, and provide an advantage to others. Research shows that people do not get as sick as they are exposed to smaller amounts of virus, Drs. Monica Gandhi, a virus expert at the University of California, San Francisco.
And masks can protect the people who wear them by reducing the number of drops of others who can make contact with them.
In two U.S. food processing plants where masks were required and infection clusters prevailed, Gandhi noted that most workers who developed COVID-19 had mild illness or no symptoms.
Research into another coronavirus has also found low infection rates among people who often wore masks in public.
Experts say that masks are particularly important with the new coronavirus, because infected people can be contagious, even if they have no symptoms.
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The AP answers your questions about the coronavirus in this series. Submit them to: [email protected].
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