A mask policy in a Missouri salon likely helped prevent a pair of stylists who contracted the new coronavirus from passing it on to any of the nearly 140 clients they came into contact with, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Control. Disease Prevention (CDC))
On Tuesday, the agency touted the findings as evidence of why policies recommending facial coatings may be so important in curbing the spread of the coronavirus, which has infected more than 3 million people in the U.S., and represented around 136,000 deaths.
The study authors noted that some factors prevented them from drawing definitive conclusions. But they said the findings “support the role of source control in preventing transmission” and said they can inform public health policy.
According to the study, a stylist at a health salon in Springfield, Missouri, on May 12 developed respiratory symptoms for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. A second stylist developed symptoms of the disease in three days.
The two employees are said to have served 139 clients in the salon in the following days before receiving positive results. But no symptoms of COVID-19 were identified among clients or their secondary contacts, the study found, noting that the lack of an outbreak may have been related to a city ordinance and company policy that recommends the use of coatings. facial.
Both stylists and 98 percent of customers who agreed to be interviewed by local health officials said they wore masks the entire time they were in business. The other two percent said they wore facial covers part of the time.
After the stylists received positive test results, the salon closed for three days and public health officials tracked contacts for all 139 clients who received services from them. The Greene County Health Department found that none of the clients exhibited symptoms of the virus while quarantining themselves. Sixty-seven individuals who volunteered for the test also received negative results.
The report noted that asymptomatic cases may have been lost in the middle of the study. However, he said the findings pointed to facial coatings as a “contributing factor in preventing transmission.”
“As orders to stay home are lifted, professional and social interactions in the community will present more opportunities for the spread of SARS-CoV-2,” the authors wrote. “A broader implementation of masking policies could mitigate the spread of infection in the general population.”
Federal and state leaders have launched an aggressive push in recent weeks to make facial coverage more universal as the United States experiences a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases. At least 22 states and Washington, DC, have implemented orders requiring facial masks.
However, its use has been a source of tension in some regions, and critics argue that it represents a violation of their rights. President Trump
Donald John TrumpIvanka Trump launches Goya Foods products on Twitter Sessions defends the challenge: “I leave the elected office with my integrity intact” Former White House doctor Ronny Jackson wins the second round of Texas MORE has been reluctant to wear face masks in public. He had one on camera for the first time last week during a visit to Walter Reed Hospital.
In an editorial published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), CDC leaders called for the use of universal masks to contain the virus. They noted the Missouri report and a JAMA study that found that adherence to universal mask-wear policies reduced transmission within the Boston hospital system to support counseling.
“We are not defenseless against COVID-19,” CDC Director Robert Redfield said in a statement. Cloth liners are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus, particularly when used universally in a community setting. All Americans have a responsibility to protect themselves, their families, and their communities. ”
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