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Scientists have claimed that the extensive use of masks and face coverings may play a role as a kind of “vaccine” against the Corona virus, according to a study published by the “Daily Mail” newspaper.
The cloth and surgical masks that most people wear are not ideal as they allow some viral particles to penetrate the wearer’s airways.
Experts say that repeatedly exposing people to small amounts of the emerging corona virus in this way can play a role in training their bodies to recognize and fight it, leading to effective immunization.
The unproven theory was detailed by UCS scientists in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The possibility of testing the hypothesis, beyond all doubt, is considered small, since the matter would require exposing people with masks and others without them to the virus in clinical trials, which is unethical.
The idea scientists have come up with may, in part, explain why fewer people die or become seriously ill from Corona infection in the later stages of the epidemic.
The study authors stressed that people should not intentionally try to contract the virus to build immunity, due to the risks.
According to the study, epidemiological investigations of the SARS pandemic, in 2003, around the world, especially in Asian countries, indicated a strong relationship between public use of masks and control of the outbreak.
The study compares the matter with some of the customs used in the past in the fight against smallpox, according to which people exposed to the infection were deliberately injected with substances extracted from a person with smallpox, to cause a mild infection and obtain immunity thereafter.
