Chaplinskas presented data on the delta variety: it is such that the masks will want to use even for vaccination

However, with the proliferation of the delta strain of coronavirus, which is rapidly filling the beds of COVID-19 patients in hospitals, it is worth not giving up on masks, even for those and where they are not needed.

Infectious disease specialist Professor Saulius Čaplinskas advised wearing masks indoors, who warned on the Lietuvos Rytas TV show “Nauja diena” that the delta variant of the coronavirus is enough to inhale 10 times fewer particles to infect a person.

“Unfortunately, the virus has changed, it has mutated in the direction of spreading faster. If the original Wuhan strain infected one person with 3, this variant of the delta virus infects an average of 7 other people. This is because the delta variant is enough to inhale 10 times fewer particles for a person to become infected. In evaluating this, I would recommend wearing a medical mask carefully in closed public spaces, “said S. Čaplinskas on the Lietuvos Rytas television program.

S. Čaplinskas wrote more about the delta variety on his Facebook account of the social network.

The professor wrote that although, according to data published by the Israel Ministry of Health, vaccinated people were 6.7 times more likely to become infected with the coronavirus than those who acquired innate immunity after the COVID-19 disease, the cost of naturally acquired immunity can be severe. with all its complications.

The professor also warned: “People infected with covidium have had a stroke or heart attack six times more often than uninfected people within two weeks of diagnosis or with symptoms, according to a new Swedish study,” he added. Čaplinskas, adding that vaccination reduces the severity of health problems caused by the virus. Risk.

The most important stimulus where it is possible to wear a mask, although it is not mandatory, according to S. Chaplinskas, should be that the delta variant of the coronavirus is more than twice as contagious as the previous one.

“Therefore, if you have not been vaccinated, the chances of contracting COVID-19 more than double this year compared to last year,” warned S. Čaplinskas.

However, in an interview with the Delfi portal, S. Čaplinskas criticized the strict prerequisite of the Lithuanian government to wear masks everywhere, even outdoors, even when one is alone.

“From the beginning, the use of masks raised some questions because it was poorly communicated.

Basically, the use of masks in the open air is hardly justified. There is no supporting research to make the masks effective for outdoor use. In some countries it was applied, but the way it was applied in Lithuania at the beginning of the pandemic, we understand it to be illogical. The use of outdoor masks is not recommended.

If the mask will be used outdoors, where no person will be around, where there will be no contact with another person for a long time, then what will the mask protect against? It will only get wet and when you enter a confined space, its filtration properties will be significantly reduced. Then it will not fulfill the function that it can perform ”, the professor told the Delfi portal.

Still, the scientist believes that it is logical to wear masks indoors when an infection is woven.

“In certain situations, indoors, where people congregate, where there is poor ventilation, where people stay together for a longer time, it would be prudent to use them in case of a rapid spread of the virus. Based on the current situation, taking into account the number of people vaccinated in Lithuania, it is not enough to form a herd immunity to prevent the virus from spreading and causing outbreaks.

Therefore, I believe that the recommendations of both the specialists and the World Health Organization will be maintained, and I would recommend that when the autumn season arrives, when the virus is likely to reactivate, that the masks can be used again in interiors.

So far, there is no reason to give them up now, during the summer, when going to indoor supermarkets or driving on public transport. I will definitely use it as I did, ”promised S. Čaplinskas.

At the same time, the teacher pointed out that it is important to use the mask correctly. It should cover two thirds of the nose.