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The general use of masks appears not only to reduce the rate of new infections, but also to increase the number of people who, even if infected, remain asymptomatic. – reveals a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine about dr. Béla Merkely, Rector of Semmelweis University, prepared an abstract.
One of the pillars of protection against coronavirus is the correct use of masks: it helps reduce the severity of the disease and can ensure that emerging diseases are asymptomatic in a greater proportion. If this hypothesis is confirmed, it is possible that the use of a universal mask is a kind of “variolation” that can generate immunity, thus slowing the spread of the virus in the United States and other places where we are waiting to be vaccinated.
– read in the article, as well as the fact that, according to previous evidence, the use of a mask can protect the user from possible infection by preventing various respiratory virus particles from entering the nasal and oral cavities. In the words of the rector, research around the world suggests that there is a strong link between the use of masks throughout the population and the control of the epidemic.
Recent data from Boston demonstrate a reduction in the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers due to the general use of face masks. SARS-CoV-2 has a diverse symptom profile, which may or may not be complete, but of course, more serious pneumonia can occur. Recent virological, epidemiological and ecological data have led to the hypothesis that a mask can also reduce the severity of the disease in infected people.
– affirms the rector, adding that this hypothesis is in line with the long-standing theory that the severity of the disease is proportional to the number of viruses entered. In viruses such as coronavirus, where the host’s immune response plays an important role in the viral disease process, inhaling a virus in high doses directs the natural immune response and exacerbates the disease. Therefore, reducing the immune response with a steroid drug (dexamethasone) improves disease outcome in severe Covid-19 infection. The association of the number of virus particles with the severity of the disease has been demonstrated in Syrian hamster models.
According to these, if the number of viral particles determines the severity of SARS-CoV-2, the hypothesis that the use of masks reduces the number of viral particles that pass and therefore reduces the subsequent clinical course of the disease is correct. Because masks (depending on type) can filter aerosols that contain viruses, they can reduce the amount of virus that an infected person breathes out. If this theory is confirmed, the general use of face masks may increase the number of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections.
The article says that the rate of asymptomatic infections was 40 percent in mid-July, but is now over 80 percent due to general use of masks, which also confirms the previous hypothesis.
In countries where the use of the mask is more accepted, the rate of serious infection and mortality in the population is lower.
– writes Béla Merkely, adding that the coronavirus is transmitted very easily, it cannot be stopped by focusing on the symptoms, since it is asymptomatic.
The general use of masks, on the other hand, appears to reduce the rate of new infections; we hypothesized that reducing the number of virus particles increases the proportion of infected patients who remain asymptomatic. An example of this is an outbreak on a closed-circuit Argentine cruise ship, with passengers wearing a surgical mask and those working aboard an FFP3 mask, resulting in an asymptomatic infection rate of 81%, compared to an previous epidemic on another ship, where it was only 20% (travelers did not wear a mask here).
In his summary, the rector also spoke about concerns about the safety of the vaccine, despite which the world has high hopes for a highly effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. As early as September, 34 vaccine candidates had already been clinically tested, while more than 100 are currently in development.
While awaiting the results of the investigation, any public health measure that increases the rate of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections in the population, thus reducing the number of deaths and improving the immunity of the population, may be important. In fact, re-infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus appears to be very rare, even though the virus has been circulating around the world for 8 months, and studies in macaques have shown this.
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